


Tommy Queen's Adventures With Time Travel

by pjiminshair



Series: Tommy Queen: The Middle Child™ [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Episode: s01e09 Year's End, Episode: s02e09 Three Ghosts, Episode: s03e09 The Climb, Episode: s04e09 Dark Waters, Episode: s05e09 What We Leave Behind, Episode: s06e09 Irreconcilable Differences, Established Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, F/M, Fluff, Married Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, Original Character(s), Time Travel, olicity children
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2019-10-03 15:51:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17286995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pjiminshair/pseuds/pjiminshair
Summary: Tommy Queen's (Accidental) Adventure With Time Travel.Tommy had been 10 when he had said, with all the conviction his voice could handle at 10, that he was going to build a time machine. His parents of course, had been all love and support on the matter. But, Tommy at 17 knew that the Time travelling device he had been tinkering with for the last 7 years wasn't going to bear any fruit.Well, until it did.Now, One moment, Tommy was in bed, staring at the VWT-R6 control panel, and the next, he was in a damp, dank basement during Christmas of the year 2012.If that wasn't bad enough, apparently, he can only jump forward approximately a year or so whenever he tries to go back to his time.(At least, he gets to watch his parents grow into the people they are today, year after year)





	1. S01E09: She Pulls Me In (Enough To Keep Me Guessing)

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER:  
> The first chapter of this work takes place in season 1 of arrow, so if both Oliver and Diggle seem a bit stoic and "manly", well then, that's only because I'm trying to keep them in character. Good news is, That as the story progresses through the seasons, both those characters turn softer and more affectionate, and lovely, so just stick around, okay?
> 
> Not to say that this chapter doesn't have any fluff, cause you know my boy was head over heels in love with Felicity even before he could actually smile properly. So, I gaurantee you'll enjoy this as much as all the other upcoming chapters. If you do, leave kudos and feedback (they feed the writers. it's fact)
> 
> HAPPY READING!!

Tommy was sure his father was going to kill him. And if by any chance, he survived the wrath of the infamous Green Arrow, then surely, his mother would finish the job. Truth be told, Tommy was often more scared of his mother’s loud voice than his father’s patent _‘You Have Failed This City’_ growl.

 

The VWT-R6 was supposed to be just a pet project. Something he’d been working on since he was ten. It hadn’t been in a working condition, or well, it _shouldn’t_ have been. After all, which other 17 year old could say that they’d successfully managed to build a time-travelling device? And though his parents were forever supportive of his lofty goals, even Tommy had known that the chances of him building an actual working prototype, especially without using dark matter in any shape or form was very slim. But, then one night, whilst he had been tinkering with the deltahedron shaped control panel, a little smaller than his palm, the thing had started glowing a vivid blue, and the next thing Tommy knew, he was enveloped in darkness.

 

>>

<<

 

Diggle jumped when he heard a dull thump in front of the stairs of the foundry. Behind him, Oliver hopped off the salmon ladder (it was Wednesday) at the sound. He turned to look at the entrance only to find a young man slumped unconscious on the ground. Digg stood up immediately, walking over cautiously even as Oliver picked up his bow and notched an arrow. John rolled his eyes at his friend's paranoia. As if a teenage boy who wasn’t even conscious was a threat of some sort.

 

“What the hell?” Oliver growled. After all, the boy had appeared out of nowhere. He watched cautiously as Diggle walked forward, crouching down near the body to check his pulse. He sighed in relief when he found it. At least the boy wasn’t dead.

 

“Okay, is it just me or did this guy just drop in here out of nowhere?” Diggle asked rhetorically, crouching a little to search the boy for an id of any sort. Looking closer, he was clearly in his late teens, maybe 17 or 18. With dirty blonde almost brown hair and fair skin, a light mole at the side of his top lip. John patted him down, checking for weapons but the guy was unarmed. In fact, if Diggle looked close enough, in a loose green Henley and striped sweatpants, the boy looked like he was more ready for bedtime than invading a vigilante’s secret hideout. His right hand was fisted though, and John was just about to open it, to see what he was gripping so tightly when the boy woke, eyes snapping open with a loud inhale. His deep blue panicked eyes met Diggle’s and the boy relaxed considerably,

 

“Uncle John.” The boy sighed in relief, “Oh thank god. I thought I accidentally time travelled or something.” He closed his eyes again, laying his head back down on the ground and giggling dizzily, missing the incredulous look Diggle gave him.

 

“Kid, who are you, and how did you get in here?” Digg asked, even as Oliver put on his suit, pulling up his hood before the boy could notice him. The boy lazily opened his eyes again, this time giving his surroundings a cursory glance, eyes widening in panic when he didn’t recognize where he was. He sat up instantly, ignoring the dizziness in his head, and stiffened further when he saw the hood standing right behind his Uncle John.

 

He had only ever seen that suit and bow in pictures, in fuzzy black and white newspaper prints, and it looked just as intimidating as it did in those old newspaper clippings. If Tommy didn’t know exactly who was under that hood, (if he hadn’t spent years cuddling with him when he was a child, and training with him as he grew up) he was certain he would be pissing his pants. Instead, he just took in the rest of his surroundings, dark walls, leaky ceilings, outdated computer systems and the complete lack of any sort of a female touch, and he groaned,

 

“Oh god, Dad’s going to kill me.”

 

“I think right now, your father is the least of your worries.” John warned, raising a brow intimidatingly, tilting his head towards the bow wielding vigilante standing behind him. Tommy gulped, and John continued, “You’d better start talking, boy.”

 

John stood up, crossing his arms, and Tommy took that his queue to stumble into standing too. He sighed, knowing this early in time, it was going to be hard to convince them both that he was from the future (especially without his mother here. At any moment, Felicity Smoak-Queen was the first woman to believe in any far-fetched sci-fi theory, and he loved that about her.) without spilling some solid proof.

 

“You guys aren’t going to believe me.” He warned the two men. The hood tilted his head, but didn’t say anything. John scoffed, shook his head,

 

“Alright, let’s start easy. What’s your name?”

 

“Tommy.” He said truthfully. The hood stiffened, but didn’t react any further. Diggle again raised a brow,

 

“Tommy what?” Tommy hesitated, but he knew that if he wanted to survive this incident unscathed, he would have to tell the truth. He could always ask Aunt Sara to make them forget about him with that flashy-thing later.

 

“Tommy Queen.” He said decidedly, and looked directly at the hood, “I’m your son.”

 

Oliver froze completely, looking at the young boy in front of him. It was impossible. The boy was too old. Hardly half a decade younger than Oliver at the least. But, there was something about him, something that made Oliver’s blood run cold.

 

Diggle though, had no such qualms. He scoffed even as he worried. The boy knew who the hood was behind his mask. And he was clearly off his rocker if he truly believed what he was saying. This could be really bad for them.

 

Tommy saw their disbelief clearly on their faces, and he shook his head, he had to make them understand, “Look, I know this sounds super weird, but it’s true. I accidentally time travelled. I-”

 

“Oh please.” Diggle rolled his eyes, but the boy continued as if he hadn’t said anything,

 

“I mean, how else would I know about the hood being Oliver Queen?”

 

Oliver sighed, pulled down his hood irritably even as he growled, “I don’t know, but I still wouldn’t assume time traveling to be the first explanation.”

 

“Okay.” Tommy nodded, “So you need more proof. I can do that.” He turned to his uncle John, imploring him with his large doe eyes (Mom’s. Everybody said he got them from his mother.), “I know Lyla Michaels. Aunt Lyla. You’ve told me stories about your days as a soldier. I know about your brother, Andy. Not in too many details, but-”

 

John was already looking at him with wide eyes, as if couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Oliver looked over at his friend with dread crawling up his throat. This shouldn’t be real. It shouldn’t be possible. How can time travel be-

 

 _You’ve seen some pretty incredible things_ , his mind reminded him, _After mirakuru, and magic, and alpha-omega, is time travel really so out of the realm of reality?_

 

Maybe not, but having a _son_?

 

By the time Oliver tuned back into the boy’s conversation, Tommy had turned to him, “I know about your five years on the island. I know about John Constantine, and Shado, and Anatoly-”

 

“Okay, stop.” Oliver ordered gruffly. These were names he hadn’t repeated to anyone. No one should know about them. He sighed, exhausted even as the boy gave him a triumphant look.

 

“Look, I know this is hard to believe.” Tommy said, and he showed them the VWT-R6 prototype. “This was an accident. I was just tinkering with this when it activated on it’s own. And the next thing I knew, I was here.”

 

Diggle shook his head, unsurprisingly finding the concept of time travelling tough to wrap his head around, “Lord help me, This shouldn’t be possible, but I can’t think of any other explanation anymore.”

 

Tommy gave his uncle a sympathetic grimace, knowing he had always found it more difficult than others to digest the more supernatural or sci-fi elements of his life. He looked between the two men, “Look, let me just talk to my mo-” He cut himself off, started again, “Let me talk to Felicity… Smoak. She’ll believe me.”

 

Oliver narrowed his eyes, “How do you know Felicity Smoak?” he himself had only met the cute blonde just a few weeks ago, and was already planning on seeing her again. He had an arrow he needed to know the origins of, and he couldn’t think of anyone who could help him better than Felicity.

 

Or, maybe he could. But, Felicity was different. Those few moments they spent interacting with each other between his arrival, her research and his departure, they left him feeling lighter than when he arrived every time. She was bright, and cute, and jumpy with how nervous she got every time she saw him, and she made his pulse race no matter how hard he tried to control his heart rate.

 

And that was saying something. Usually, Oliver was incredibly good at controlling his heart rate.

 

Tommy blinked, confused. “I told you, I’m from the future.” He said, and Oliver was just about to ask him how Felicity Smoak became so vital to his life that he told his alleged son from the future about her, when Tommy continued, looking around the foundry, “Hasn’t she joined the team yet?” He asked casually.

 

Both John and Oliver looked at him in surprise. It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed Oliver’s mind before. But, he had always brushed the idea off, thinking her too pure for the darkness that was his life. John’s thoughts however were moving in a slightly different direction. He had had the front row seat to Felicity Smoak’s effect on Oliver when he saw them interact for the Derek Reston case a few weeks ago, and he had been surprised how light Oliver had been around her. They had teased, borderline flirted with each other, and it was quite possibly one of the only times Diggle had seen Oliver crack a genuine smile.

 

Adding that to the fact that Diggle was pretty sure Tommy was about to ask about his mother before he changed his wording, John was blind sided by the conclusion he came to. He didn’t know Felicity all that well. In fact, all he could say about the woman was that she was bubbly and cute, but-

 

Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak?

 

_Huh. Who would’ve guessed._

 

Oliver cleared his throat, “No. She hasn’t. I’m assuming she’s still part of the team even back in your time?” Oliver asked. The longer he looked at the boy in front of him, the harder it was getting to keep his mind on a professional track. He had so many questions for him. How old was he exactly? Was he happy? Was Oliver a good father? Was he living a good life?... who was his mother?

 

Oliver tried to look at him more closely, saw how Tommy had the same famous Queen nose, the same mole that Oliver sported on his lip, and so did his mother. But, there were also features that were unfamiliar to him. His face was rounder, his eyes a brighter blue. He tried not to look for Laurel in him, but couldn’t help himself. He didn’t know if he was relieved or disappointed when he saw nothing in Tommy that resembled her.

 

Tommy crossed his arms, nervous because he was sure if he spoke too much about his mother, that he would give something away. But at the same time, there was a part in him that really wanted to see her. He had seen photos of the team when they’d just started out together. When it was just his mom and dad and uncle John. When his parents had just been teammates and friends and nothing more. It had always surprised him how much she had changed since then. Back in his time, his mother dressed much more expensive. Trading animal prints for sophisticated dresses and curly ponytails for a styled long bob hair cut.

 

“Yes, she is.” Tommy said shortly, and then looked back at the VWT-R6 with a resigned sigh. He gave his father a pleading look, “Do you think we can go see her?”

 

Oliver frowned, “You want to go see Felicity?” Tommy nodded,

 

“She’s the one who helped me build this. And I know she’s not the same Felicity as she is in my time, but she could help me get this working.”

 

Diggle blinked, “Wait, you built that? A time machine?!”

 

Tommy nodded, blushing slightly, “Honestly, I don’t know what I did. According to my calculations, This shouldn’t even be able to function yet. But, obviously, it works, since I’m here. The problem is, if I don’t know how to control it, then I can’t go back to my own time.”

 

Oliver shook his head. So, not only did he have a son, he had a son who was no doubt a hundred times smarter than him. He wondered where Tommy got his brains from.

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Tommy. Felicity doesn’t know you yet. She won’t just decide to help you repair a time machine.”

 

“Travelling device.” His son muttered,

 

“What?” Oliver asked, frowning,

 

Tommy rolled his eyes, “It’s a time travelling device, dad. Time machine sounds too much like I built a pod of some sort. I just managed to open a portal, apparently.” He corrected flippantly.

 

Oliver didn’t even know where to start with that statement. He just shook his head, a heavy sigh escaping him, “It doesn’t change the fact that you can’t take that… thing to Felicity.”

 

“I know that, dad.” Tommy said, giving his father an exasperated look, “I know m- Felicity. I don’t need to give her an explanation. I just need to run some hypothetical theories past her. She usually indulges conversations that have a sci-fi theme to them, no matter how ridiculous they sound in reality.”

 

Oliver gave Tommy a hard look. He wasn’t looking forward to taking his son along with him to visit Felicity. (He cherished the moments they spent alone together. Looked forward to them.) But, he couldn’t think of any reason to dissuade him. So, he rolled his eyes heavenward, cursing whoever was responsible for the universe taking one of the few things that he still let himself indulge in away from him.

 

“Fine. I was going to go meet her tonight anyway. You can tag along.” Oliver grumbled, and turned around, going over to the shower room to freshen up and change into his civilian clothes. Diggle snorted at his friend’s sulkiness, waiting till he heard the door shutting behind Oliver with a click before turning back to the boy,

 

“So, Tommy Queen, huh?” He wondered aloud. Tommy gave him a sheepish smile, his hand going over to his nose bridge, to push his glasses up before realising he wasn’t wearing them. It was a nervous habit Tommy had picked up from his mother. A move John definitely remembered Felicity doing from the only time he had met her. He smirked, his suspicions getting confirmed further,

 

“Uncle John.” Tommy said, “I have to say, you haven’t changed a bit in my time.”

 

John shrugged, “Yes well, I’m not surprised. Us Diggles don’t really age all the much.” He tilted his head, “I have to say though, I never imagined Oliver and Felicity. Though, I suppose there are worse things. He could have ended up with Laurel. Or god forbid, Helena.”

 

Tommy’s eyes widened in surprise, “How did you know?” he asked, genuinely surprised, he had thought he had done a good job hiding his mother’s identity. “Do you think dad figured it out?”

 

John rolled his eyes, “Please, when it comes to the matters of the heart, your father can be denser than a brick.”

 

Tommy snorted. Personally, the only version of Oliver Queen he had known, was one who was not only madly in love with his wife but also not afraid to express that love with countless public declarations of love and displays of affection that were often too embarrassing for Tommy and his siblings to handle. But, he had also heard about a version of his dad who took literal years to get together with Tommy’s mother, those tales often being told to him by Uncle John or Uncle Roy or Aunt Sara, who had the front row seats to their ‘mating ritual’ (their words, not his. _Definitely not his_.).

 

John continued looking at the boy in front of him. The boy who felt safe in his presence, the boy who called him 'uncle'. When John agreed to work with Oliver on his crusade, he hadn’t completely realised how intertwined their lives would become with each other. But, well… If how this young man was acting was anything to go by, he and Oliver… they’re like brothers aren’t they? They’re like a family.

 

John was sure there were worse things in life.

 

Diggle shook his head, and fell back, walking towards the medical table to sit on the metal tool. Tommy followed him, instead going for the laptop set up in the centre. He made a face at the set up, gingerly touching the wires connected to the printer and the police scanner before frowning,

 

“Oh, I never thought that it would be this bad.” He murmured softly. John kept looking at him, fascinated and curious. Not only because he was from the future, but because he was Oliver’s son from the future.

 

“So, what kind of Dad is he? Oliver?” He couldn’t help but ask. The man in question was still in the shower. John wasn’t surprised. Oliver liked to make quite a bit of an effort every time before going over to visit Felicity. Tommy hesitated before answering. If his actions somehow ended up creating a time aberration, Aunt Sara would definitely confiscate the VWT-R6. And now that Tommy knew that the thing worked, he would stop at nothing to perfect it. But then again, as long as his dad didn’t find out too much about himself, time should remain intact.

 

“Dad’s… dad’s awesome.” Tommy grinned, “He’s supportive and loving and he cooks the best food you’ll ever taste.” Tommy laughed at his uncle’s blatant disbelief, “He’s also super dorky. And funny in a way only dads are. As in, he makes an effort, but mostly, all of us just groan at his horrible puns.”

 

Diggle blinks, “I have to say, It’s very difficult to imagine Oliver ‘The Hood’ Queen being a dorky dad.”

 

“Oh, he’s still intimidating as hell.” Tommy agreed quickly, eyes wide, “I mean, not as scary as mom when she gets angry, but definitely up there. But you know, in my time, he’s more hero than vigilante.”

 

And well, that part's not so hard to believe. John could see the potential that Oliver carried within himself. The kind of man he could be if only he could harness that light inside of him. Oliver had a big heart, one of the greatest capacities to love that John had ever seen. He saw it every time he observed Oliver with his sister, or mother or his best friend Tom-

 

“He named you after his best friend?” That surprised Diggle. Sure, Oliver loved with his whole heart, but, John never took him for the sentimental type.

 

Tommy shrugged, “It was mom’s idea. She knew how close he and dad were.”

 

The past tense was slightly worrying. But, for his own sanity’s sake, Diggle did not let himself dwell too long on it. The boy was a teenager from the future. For all John knew, Tommy Merlyn and Oliver Queen had just drifted apart with time. The possibility wasn’t too far fetched when one considered how much Oliver had changed.

 

They heard the bathroom door open then, and Tommy turned to look at his father coming out in a fresh henley and pants. Oliver frowned as he searched through the duffle bag of clean clothes he kept at the foundry, his face contorting in a frown when he didn’t find what he was looking for. He turned to Digg, not being able to look the other man in the eye even as he forced a casual tone in his voice to ask,

 

“Hey, you seen that black jacket I have? The… um, the bomber one?”

 

Diggle smirked. Almost 20 minutes in the shower and now he was looking for a specific jacket? Maybe Oliver was more gone on Felicity than Diggle had thought.

 

“Can’t say I have, man. But, your grey hoodie is right there.” Digg said, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice even as he pointed to the garment carelessly tossed on the computer desk chair. Oliver made a face when he looked at it. For a week Oliver had been wearing it right after his workouts. No doubt it smelled like grime and sweat. He cleared his throat,

 

“Never mind. I think I’ll just go without one.”

 

John shrugged, lips twitching, “Suit yourself, man.” Then, feeling sorry for the guy (if John didn’t know better, he would say Oliver was _pouting_ ), he continued, “Or you know, you could check the car. Maybe you left the bomber in the backseat.”

 

Oliver straightened. “Right.” He said gruffly, and then cleared his throat, turning over to his son from the future (oh god, his _son_ from the _future_ ) who was openly grinning at him and said roughly, “You coming or not?”

 

<><><><><><><>

 

They were just outside Felicity Smoak’s new office when Oliver turned to his son. He gave the young man a sharp glare even as he said,

 

“Don’t act weird. And let me introduce you. Remember, she doesn’t know who you are yet.”

 

Tommy rolled his eyes, “Yes, dad.”

 

Oliver’s heart still did that flippy thing in his chest whenever Tommy called him his father, more panic than anything else, but there was also this part of him that still couldn’t really process it. Tommy was in his late teens, and though, a lot of his features matched Oliver’s, between his genius-level smartness and perpetual happy-go-lucky personality, he didn’t remind Oliver of himself a lot.

 

Which was a good thing. Oliver wasn't a very good person.

 

Maybe… maybe he took after his mother. Whoever she was.

 

He didn’t bother answering Tommy. Instead, opening the door to find Felicity engrossed in her tablet. For a few moments, he just took her in, how she chewed on her bright fingernails, her lips equally bright. When he stepped into her office and she still didn’t look his way, he cleared his throat, having to curb his amusement when she quite literally jumped,

 

“Don’t you knock?” Her question came out a bit too snippy, but only because he had managed to catch her off guard. For some reason, even her grumpiness was endearing.

 

“Felicity,” He said, not being able to keep the laughter from his voice completely. He liked saying her name. He liked how the syllables dragged on his lips, how he had to make an effort to enunciate them, what the meaning of her name represented, “This is the IT department, not the ladies’ room.”

 

The blush that bloomed on her pale skin was a beautiful thing to witness, and without even realising, Oliver took a step closer. Felicity locked her tablet, sitting straighter before looking up at Oliver again,

 

“What can I do for you?” She asked innocently, and Oliver smiled. He was proud of the story he had been able to make up this time. At least, it was much better than the ‘coffee shop is in a bad neighbourhood’ excuse.

 

Though, he had to admit, the bar was set pretty low.

 

Behind him, he heard Tommy shuffle into frame, and saw as Felicity’s brows furrowed in confusion. He turned to look at Tommy tiredly. Time spent in Felicity’s company was supposed to be relaxing. Adding Tommy into the mix was doing the opposite,

 

“Felicity, this is my sister’s friend. Jonas.”

 

Felicity raised a brow at the teenager, and Tommy found himself staring at her. She was so young! Maybe just a few of years older than him. Physically, she hadn’t changed that much over the years, but her entire vibe was so much… younger. More naive. Trusting. Tommy found himself walking closer, smiling wider, leaning over the desk in between them just so that he could shake her hand,

 

“Hello, Ms. Smoak.” He said primly, and then almost ruined it by _giggling_.

 

Felicity gave him a weird look, leaning back even as she said, “Just Felicity is fine.” She looked back at Oliver and reworded her previous statement, “So, what can I do for the two of you?”

 

“Oh, Jonas is just here for…” Oliver started, but then drew a blank. Apparently, he hadn’t thought this far enough, again. Felicity gave him a curious look, and Oliver turned is eyes heavenward in search of inspiration-

 

“I’m just here because Oliver was giving me a ride on the way from the mansion to my apartment.” Jonas said, giving his father an amused look, before turning back to his mom, “He said he had an errand to run and we made a pit stop here.”

 

“...Okay.” Felicity said slowly, dragging the word, turning back to look at Oliver, “And what is this errand?”

 

“My buddy Steve is really into archery.” Oliver said, smiling, and blew out a disbelieving breath as if he couldn’t fathom why anybody would want to ever use a bow or arrow, “Apparently, it’s all the rage right now.”

 

Felicity hmmed lightly in agreement, “I don’t know why… looks utterly ridiculous to me.” She said casually, as if she hadn’t just personally offended him. Well, it’s not like she knew, but it still made Oliver want to prove her wrong.

 

( _Perhaps, private lessons._ A small part of his brain whispered, catching him off guard with the images it produced in his head.)

 

Besides him, Tommy snorted at his mother’s answer, garnering a glare from his father. He sobered immediately, though there was no way he wasn’t going to use this little tit-bit as ammo to poke fun at his father back in his time.

 

“Mm-hmm.” Oliver said, pursing his lips so that any of his more impure thoughts wouldn’t show on his face. He shook his head clear instead,  bringing up the plastic tube containing the Dark Archer’s arrow instead, “Anyway, it’s Steve’s birthday next weekend, and I wanted to buy him some arrows.” He said popping open the lid and sliding the arrow out, “The thing is, he gets these special custom made arrows and I have no idea where he gets them.”

 

Felicity’s lips parted softly when he saw the black arrow, her eyes widening a little in surprise. She probably hadn’t expected him to bring an actual arrow to her office, but she didn’t say anything. Oliver waited for her to react any further, but when she didn’t do anything but stare at the arrow and sway lightly in her chair, he continued, “I was hoping you could find out where this came from.”

 

Felicity’s lips stretched in a smile as she eagerly started to take the arrow from him. When their hands where just inches apart, Oliver pulled back just a little. Just so that she would rip her eyes away from that arrow and look at _him_ for a moment,

 

“Careful.” He whispered to her, raising a brow, his voice just a tad too husky. She smiled up at him. She always ended up smiling at him at least once when he visited her. And everytime she did, he couldn’t help but reciprocate.

 

“Yeah.” She whispered back, her voice just as soft. The atmosphere in that moment seemed untouchable. Oliver finally handed her the arrow, and took the lone seat across from the table while she looked over the shaft,

 

Tommy leaned over the nearest wall, watched his mother work her magic on the ancient (to him) computer system. Watched his father watch her work. The way he looked at her, it was still the same look he had in his eyes after decades together. It hadn’t changed. Maybe the love wasn’t so apparent this early, but even now, he looked at her like she was the brightest spot in his life, the best part of his day.

 

“The shaft’s composite is patented.” Felicity said suddenly, all warmth in her voice taking a back seat for a more professional tone. Oliver didn’t bother to understand what she did with those numbers on her computer. It was all way too out of his league, but what he did understand though, was that she already had a name for him in moments.

 

Sagittarius.

 

Latin. For the Archer.

 

“Really?” Oliver asked, impressed as always as he took the arrow back. The next part was going to be a bit trickier. He didn’t have an excuse for his next request, “Could you find out where and when this was purchased?”

 

He looked at her closely even as he asked her the question, wondering if maybe this time she’ll push him to get an actual explanation for his weird-ass requests. But, she just smiled knowingly, as if she expected it, a sort of _ah, there it is._ It made Oliver feel transparent. Predictable. Two things that usually freaked him out. He waited for the alarm bells to ring in his head, for his muscles to tense up, but nothing of the sort happened.

 

Instead, _She isn’t a threat_ , his mind soothed, _she isn’t a target._

 

And just for a moment, Oliver relished in his own predictability. Relaxed imperceptibly, knowing he didn’t have anyone to out-smart in this room.

 

Sometimes he hated how fast Felicity worked, hated how short these meetings lasted. In moments, she had an address for him. But, at the same time, her efficiency never failed to amaze him. It might be a rather naive way of thinking, but, these days, living the sort of confusing double life that he did, he liked that there was just this one person in the world, who always had answers for him.

 

“Felicity,” Oliver breathed in. (He liked saying her name. He didn’t have to say it. Not nearly as often as he did, but he loved how she brightened whenever he did, and he loved how the letters rolled off his tongue when he did.) He found himself smiling (had he even stopped smiling since he walked into her office?), “You’re remarkable.”

 

That blush again. Pink and glowy and spreading through her cheeks like perfume.

 

“Thank you for remarking on it.”

 

Behind him, Tommy groaned at their adorableness. In his time, it had become a running gag in his family. His parents were extremely tactile, with each other and with their children, and Tommy loved to tease them by making fun of them for their PDA and open flirting. But, this wasn’t his time. And his teasing didn’t fuel them to act even more ‘in-love’. Instead, it jerked them apart, his mother looking away and clearing her throat, and his father throwing him another glare. Tommy felt like an idiot, and was about to apologize but his father was already getting up, mumbling a soft ‘Merry Christmas’ before making his way out,

 

“I’m Jewish.” Felicity said just as Tommy pointed out, “Felicity’s Jewish.”

 

Felicity turned to look at Tommy, giving him a curious look, “How did you know that?”

 

Tommy hesitated, looking over at his father who looked more than exasperated. Clearly, he wasn’t going to be of any help. He gave his mom an uneasy smile and said vaguely, “Kindred spirits?”

 

Felicity blinked, looked over at Oliver, and then back at Tommy, before just sighing out, “You guys are _weird_.”

 

Tommy’s smile widened, “Yes well, my social skills are sub-par at best. Considering how much time I spend just geeking out over Doctor Who.”

 

Felicity’s eyes widened, her smile turning bright and genuine, “Ah! A fellow Whovian, I see.”

 

Tommy smirked. He knew that Doctor Who would be the best segway he would be able to get to discuss the logics of space-time continuum with his mother. Gingerly, he took the seat his father had been occupying previously, discussing the ninth doctor with Felicity whilst also gingerly moving the topic to a more scientific path.

 

Oliver watched, transfixed from where he was leaning against the wall, as Felicity and Tommy talked, almost in a language he couldn’t understand. There were terms that he had heard vaguely in his physics class, but most of their dialogue went right over his head. Instead, he took them in, their already bright eyes burning brighter, voices turning higher, heads falling closer.

 

The looked similar. Acted identical.

 

 _They must be close in the future,_ Oliver thought. And then smiled to himself, _maybe having Felicity on the team wouldn’t end in a tragedy._

 

Oliver didn’t know how much time he spent just looking at those two, but soon, Tommy was standing up, thanking Felicity for the ‘insightful’ conversation with a wide grin on his face, wished her a ‘happy hanukkah’, and left the room. Oliver scrambled to follow him, not wanting to leave him alone in an unfamiliar place, but he made sure that he wished Felicity a happy hanukkah too. It seemed vital, at that moment, for her to know that getting to know things like these about her was important to him.

 

<><><><><><>

 

“Was she able to help?” His dad asked him as soon as they walked out of the room. Tommy smiled, it had been a surreal experience, having that conversation with his mother. For Tommy and his mom, sci-fi has always been a way to bond. The back-and-forth firing of ideas and theories, the debates and the theorems, they’ve always played a huge part in the mother-son relationship. To be able to experience the same thing, but with his mom being only a few years older than him, and having no knowledge of future tech?

 

Well, it had been an experience. This time period’s Felicity may not know as much as he does about technology, but her point of view was still refreshing, giving him more angles to work with. He didn’t have a sure-fire solution to his time-travelling problem, but he did have some adjustments that he could make to improve his tech.

 

“Oh yeah.” Tommy said, and gave his father an excited smile, “I think I might be able to fix it now.”

 

“Good.” Oliver nodded, ignored the feeling in his chest that wanted to just keep this boy for a few more days just to get to know him better. There were so many things he wanted to ask Tommy, things about his family (did he have a sibling? Did they have any pets?), how was his life and why was he named after Oliver’s estranged best friend? But, he also knew that he could jeopardize everything if he found out too much about his future. He could jeopardize Tommy himself. So, instead, he just continued to nod, and said, “That’s good.”

 

After returning back to the foundry, it took Tommy 4 hours to make all the necessary adjustments to make the control panel glow again. This time, there was an actual holographic window that gave him an option to set a date, and Tommy grinned. It worked! Quickly, he typed the date he came from, and looked up where both Oliver and Diggle were standing in front of him,

 

Uncle John’s face was easy to read. He was curious. Curious about Tommy, about Tommy’s life in the future, what part he played in that future and with whom. His dad’s was a bit harder to interpret. There were a million emotions running across his face, curiosity, sadness, resignation and anticipation. There was a flicker of hope, but then there was also enough disbelief that Tommy knew it wouldn’t take much for his father to convince himself that he didn’t deserve the happiness that Tommy’s existence represented.

 

It was a good thing that Tommy knew that his mom’s presence in his dad’s life in a more permanent capacity did crumble that ridiculous notion at some point.

 

“It’s been a fun time.” Tommy said, and the two men nodded. Without the women in their lives that open their hearts, they both were quite stoic and macho. Knowing the softer and warmer versions of them, this time’s Uncle John and Dad just made him laugh. “I’ll see you in the future.” He said, and then finally pressed the button. A portal opened under him, the world engulfing in darkness, and then Tommy was travelling through time once again.


	2. S02E09: We Work So Well (And We Don't Even Know Why)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for so much support in the first chapter! I had wanted to wait before posting the next chapter, but at the same time, I also kinda really want to complete it and have it all be there, so this will have really fast updates. 
> 
> If you wanna keep following the Tommy Queen: The Middle Child™ verse, then you can follow me on twitter @in_enochian or on tumblr @inenochian
> 
> HAPPY READING!!

Next time Tommy woke up, he was sure it would be back in his bed, in his bedroom just two doors down his parent’s and across his sister’s, but instead, it was in an industrial building of some sort. He blinked sluggishly, and looked around the place. It certainly seemed like a warehouse with it’s high ceilings and open floors, but then there was also a bar on one side, a raised staged on the other, tables and stools scattered around the place that reminded Tommy of those bars and clubs he saw in those old movies he watched with his mother.

 

_A club?_ Tommy stood up on shaky legs, stumbling out of the building with a grimace, having to shield his eyes from the sunlight as he tried to look at the sign board up front,

 

_ Verdant. _

 

_ Oh. Aunt Thea’s club. _

 

According to the stories he’d heard, Verdant closed down in the year of 2014. So, turns out, he wasn’t able to get back to his time. But, considering that before the time jump, he was early enough in his father’s time that Verdant hadn't even been built, he’d definitely time jumped ahead a little bit. He decided to go back in, sure that he would find at least either Uncle John, his dad or mom in the lair, but there was a keypad lock restricting access to the foundry.

 

Which made sense, because, you know, security.

 

Usually, his father was corny enough that his password was almost always his wedding date, or his wife’s birthday. Seeing as his parents weren’t even dating yet, Tommy highly doubted it’s either of those options. Luckily, he was Felicity Smoak-Queen’s son, and hacking came as easy as breathing to him.

 

The heavy metal door opened with a creek, but the loud voices coming from the other end of the room muffled his entrance. He kept his footsteps silent as he climbed down the stairs, keeping himself hidden from view till he could gauge out the situation. Surprisingly, he saw his parent’s friend Barry Allen. He was a lot younger looking, in fact, if Tommy didn’t know better, he would say that Barry didn’t look any older than himself.

 

The next person his eyes landed on was his mother. She was a lot more like herself in the future this time. Her hair was longer, and her clothes still a little too quirky, but in her heels and with the fierce expression on her face, she reminded him of the Felicity Smoak Queen in his time.

 

She was going toe-to-toe with his father at the moment, his father who looked terrible and pale and hungover. His father who was also shouting back at his mom. Tommy almost interrupted them then, because of how rare it was to see his parents fight so openly, but he stayed put. Instead, he searched out his Uncle John. Diggle was looking between his parents with all the exasperation in the world. But, he was doing nothing to stop the escalating argument,

 

“You told him who I was.” Oliver said, breathless and eyes wide, as if he was finally putting together all the pieces,

 

“Yes.”

 

“That’s not your secret to tell, Felicity.” Oliver shook his head, disbelief and hurt and disappointment all over his face and colouring his tone, “I decide who finds out my identity.”

 

“Well, we didn’t have the time to take your vote, what with you dying and all!” Felicity exclaimed, rounding the med table till she was standing right in front of him, all five foot five inches of steel. It made Oliver grit his teeth, _Why did she always have to be so stubborn?_

 

“What happens if he leaves here and goes to the police?” He asked her, _did she not care? Was she so enamoured by this_ Barry _that she couldn’t even see the risk she was putting all of them in?_

 

“He wouldn't do that!” She defended just as Barry also said, “I wouldn’t do that!”

 

Tommy watched as pain clashed on his father’s face as his mother continued, “I trust him.”

 

“I don’t.” His father retorted, his jaw clenched and his fist tight. He looked more hurt than angry, but it was still an intimidating sight, but Felicity had never been scared of Oliver. In response, all she did was take another step forward into his personal space, her eyes shining in anger and righteousness,

 

“What are you going to do? Put an arrow in him?” She asked rhetorically,

 

“I’m considering it.” Oliver growled, giving the man in question a lethal glare, and Tommy finally understood what was happening.

 

_ Oh. _

 

_ His father was jealous. _

 

Tommy raised a brow, and finally decided to make himself known. He had heard enough, and if he really wanted to go back to his time, back to his loving parents and sweet sister, he was going to need his mother’s help. He deliberately made his steps echo louder on the metal staircase, and as if on cue the entire lair turned silent. In a blink, his mother was being shielded by his father, Uncle Diggle had a gun pointed at him, and Barry Allen… well, that guy was just frozen in place,

 

“What the hell?” Diggle murmured even as he lowered his firearm, and Oliver’s stance in front of Felicity relaxed. Felicity peeked from around Oliver, her eyes brightening in recognition,

 

“I know you! You’re Oliver’s sister’s friend… Jonah?” She looked at him suspiciously, “How did you get in here without the alarms going off?”

 

Diggle sighed tiredly, and then looked at Barry, “Mr. Allen, if you’ll come with me for a moment?” He asked (really, demanded), and directed Barry towards the garage, throwing Oliver a very pointed look on his way as if saying,  _ Explain everything. _

 

Which was much easier said than done. How do you tell one of your closest friends that apparently, your future son is a time traveller and this is the second time he’s popped up unexpectedly,

 

“Actually, Felicity,” Tommy started, seeing how overwhelmed his father looked, “We kinda fibbed a little when we first met.” He offered his mother his hand, “My name’s Tommy Queen.”

 

If possible, Felicity’s expression turned even more confused, “Oliver has a… brother?”

 

“Son, actually.” Oliver finally said, “Tommy here is from the future. He first showed up last year. I brought him to you because he wanted to run some…theories by you.”

 

Felicity’s eyes widened, and she looked between the two people, waiting for one of them to crack and tell her that it was all just a big joke. But, both of them had their serious-face (eerily similar serious-faces actually,  _ whoa _ ) on, and the nervous laughter that had started in Felicity’s throat died right there and then. If she looked closely enough, she could trace some of Oliver’s more prominent features on the boy. Like, the hereditary Queen mole on the upper lip, and the sharp jawline, and the identical nose.

 

Before she knew what she was doing, she was slapping Oliver’s bicep, giving him another glare, “In the year and a half that we’ve known each other, you never thought to tell me that you had a son who could freaking time-travel??” She screeched,

 

Oliver blinked at her, surprised, “You believe me?”

 

Felicity hesitated, “Well, if this was some sort of a prank, it would’ve been a pretty long-winded and frankly, kinda lame one. And I mean, look at him! He does resemble you a lot. Not to mention, theoretically, time travel isn’t exactly… impossible..?”

 

Oliver still couldn’t wrap his mind around how easily Felicity was taking all this in. At least, Oliver had some experience with the supernatural. But, he also didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, he turned to his son, frowning when he realised Tommy looked exactly the same as he had last time, right down to his pajamas,

 

“Were you not able to make it home?” He asked, and couldn’t really keep the concern out of his voice. He didn’t know what kind of a man the future version of him was, but at least, according to Tommy, he was a good parent. So, Oliver was certain that at least by now, the future him was freaking out with worry.

 

“No. The time jump from last time dropped me off here. I’m guessing I’m back vaguely around the same date, just a different year.” He told his dad, and then turned to his mom, showing her the VWT-R6, “I might need your help with this again.”

 

Felicity’s eyes were as large as saucers as she took the control panel from him in both her hands as if she was being presented with something positively holy (oh who was she kidding? It was future tech. It was ten times better than the holiest of artifacts on the planet.). Her breath caught as the deep blue glass-metal material fell into her palms.

 

“I.. I don’t.” She looked up at Tommy with panicked eyes, “I wouldn't even know where to start to help you with the science behind this.”

 

Tommy gave her a gentle smile, “I know it’s a bit overwhelming, but right now, I just need it to start up again. My best guess is that it needs a power source, and believe it or not, but I don’t know much about energy sources of this timeline.” 

 

Felicity didn’t know what to say. But the last thing she wanted was to disappoint Oliver’s son (again, whoa). Oliver’s son who looked just like him. Who placed a hand on her shoulder just like Oliver did, who gave her the same deep, trusting look like Oliver did. When Tommy looked at her like that, she could do nothing but nod. It was terrifying how much influence he held on her considering they’d just met once before a year ago. But, there was something about this child, something about this boy that made her want to help him in whatever way she could. Maybe it’s because he was Oliver’s, maybe because he was acting so familiar and close with her, maybe because they shared similar interests, or maybe it was none of those things and she was just agreeing because he’s just a helpless child who wanted to go back to his parents. 

 

She wondered how close they were in the future, Tommy and her, because clearly, he was familiar with her. She wondered if she was still just a teammate, or if they grew into something more. More like friends. More like family. She wondered what kind of a dynamic she had with the rest of Oliver’s family,

 

Tommy’s  _ mother _ .

 

Oliver’s  _ wife _ .

 

Whoever she was (Laurel. It had to be Laurel, yes?) She was very lucky.

 

Just then, Oliver’s phone rang, and both Tommy and Felicity jumped in surprise. Oliver though, he only fished out the phone from his jacket, grimaced when he saw who it was,

 

“It’s my mother.” he told the other two, “I have to go home.”

 

“Um.” Tommy started, and took a step forward. He never got to meet his grandmother in his time, nor did he get to see the original Queen Mansion. These were two opportunities he didn’t want to miss out on, “Can I come with you, do you think? I promise I’ll lay low.”

 

When Tommy looked at him like that, all big eyes and nervous smiles, as if he was really hoping Oliver would say yes, but would completely understand if he said no, Well, Oliver couldn’t refuse him. He wondered how the future version of Oliver handled that face, or if Tommy just got what he wanted all the time because of that expression,

 

“Okay. Just, don’t interact with anyone too much.”

 

Tommy did this little fist-pump then. The kind that took Oliver back to when Felicity hacked into the ARGUS satellite for the very first time. Her reaction then had been identical to his son’s. And just for a moment, Oliver’s breath caught in his throat as he took in Tommy. Tommy whose bright eyes now seemed so familiar. Whose pink cheeks and wild hair and dark mouth now reminded him of the woman standing next to him. He turned his head sharply, slowly took in Felicity who was too engrossed in that time-machine-thingy to see what he had just witnessed.

 

His insides seemed to be frozen. Air leaving his lungs till they were empty and desperate. 

 

_ He was… hers? _

_ Their’s? _

 

Just then, John came back into the room,  _ Barry Allen _ trailing behind him, and instantly, Felicity looked up from the control panel, her lips stretching into an easy smile when they landed on the latter man, and like he’d been doused with ice-cold water, Oliver suddenly remembered his place in Felicity’s life.

 

He was just a friend. Barely that. She may be physically attracted to him, but he would never be able to keep her interest. He was not smart enough. Couldn’t speak her language. There was no way she would choose his damaged self to spend the rest of her life with. And she shouldn't have to. Not when there were people like Barry Allen in the world. People without the burdens of an entire city on their shoulders. People who were whole and clamoring for her attention. People who still didn’t deserve her, but still deserved her more than Oliver did.

 

Why would Felicity Meghan Smoak choose him? When she could have anyone she wanted?

 

Oliver was sure that the similar mannerisms between his son and Felicity were just a coincidence. Something a kid developed from a person when they spent enough time with them. It was clear from how much respect Tommy had for Felicity that she was the one who taught him everything he knows. And just the thought that she was still so deeply ingrained in his life so many years into the future, it was enough for Oliver.

 

Didn’t mean he wanted to see Felicity flirt with _ Barry fucking Allen _ .

 

He sighed, looked at Tommy, jerking his chin till his son followed him towards the bathrooms. He needed to change into his civilian clothes, and there was no way he could take Tommy anywhere in his pajamas. Oliver’s own clothes were a bit loose on Tommy, but they didn’t have a lot of options. Tommy didn’t say much when they were still in the foundry, but once they were driving to the mansion, he finally blurted out what had been bugging him,

 

“You know, I never knew you hated Barry Allen.” Oliver side-eyed his son. Tommy knowing about Barry just further proves that the guy will become someone important enough to Felicity to stay in their lives for so long. If Oliver kept his concentration on driving and avoided looking anywhere but at the road ahead, it was almost possible to ignore that dull pulse of pain in his chest,

 

“I don’t hate Barry Allen.” Oliver mumbled. Tommy shook his head,

 

“I mean, you guys aren’t particularly chummy in the future anyway, but mom and Uncle Digg sometimes still talk about how you used to be good friends at some point.”

 

This was the first time Tommy’s directly referenced his mother to Oliver, and it threw him off for a moment. Obviously, Oliver had thought about it some. Last year, he had even convinced himself for a while that Laurel was the woman who he would one day have a child with. But, then Tommy,(his friend Tommy. His brother, Tommy.), died and Oliver couldn’t bring himself to even look at Laurel without feeling all the guilt crash into his chest.

 

After that, he had almost succeeded in making himself forget about Tommy (his son, Tommy. His future, Tommy) and everything he entailed. It hadn’t been easy, but neither had been living on Lian Yu. But, as long as Oliver stayed on that deserted island, then the chances of him hurting more people, good people (people like Diggle, people like Felicity) lessened and so did the chances of him meeting someone only to ruin their lives by tieing them to him.

 

It had seemed like a good idea then. Until John and Felicity had come to bring him home again. Until he saw what his brand of justice did to the city after he left. And suddenly, there was a new purpose, and Oliver had no time to think about anything else but to make this city a better, safer place to live again.

 

That is, till Tommy showed up again. He still had a son with someone at some point. But, he couldn’t bring himself to care much about the woman in question. Not when she wasn’t the only woman who made him feel even remotely human in his darkest times. 

 

When they reached the Queen Mansion, they found Moira in one of the main drawing room. Tommy stared openly. He’d only ever seen this woman in photographs. She was beautiful. Dad always said that Maya, Tommy’s younger sister, sometimes reminded him of his mother. At 15, Maya was extremely strong willed. She, out of all three of the Smoak-Queen children was the closest to their dad. While William had leaned towards Felicity by excelling in technology and business, working alongside their mother as the vice-president, Mia had leaned towards their father. Taking more interest in the city’s justice system and becoming the next Green Arrow. Tommy himself had chosen the middle lane. Learning hand-to-hand combat from his father and quantum physics from his mother.

 

“Hey, mom.” Oliver greeted his mother. She looked relieved to see him, forgoing her manners by ignoring Tommy in favor of pulling Oliver into a hug,

 

“Everything alright?” He asked her. But, when Moira pulled away, she finally acknowledged Tommy with a curious glance,

 

“Who’s this?” She asked. There was something about the boy. He looked familiar but Moira couldn’t really put her finger on it. Tommy smiled at her shyly, offering his hand to her to shake,

 

“Hello. I’m Jonas. I’m one of Thea’s friends. I think she borrowed a book from me?”

 

Moira scoffed, “Well that would be the first for her.” She paused, shook her head when she remembered herself, her cheeks dusting with a light pink of embarrassment, instead, she gave Tommy a strained smile, “Well, perhaps the two of you can convince her to get out of her room. I’ve been trying since morning, but she just won’t see me.”

 

Oliver could tell this was really worrying her. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving her one of his soft genuine smiles,

  
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to her.”

 

“Okay.” Moira relaxed. Tommy looked behind his grandmother at the decorated christmas tree and his eyes brightened,

 

“It’s chrismukkah!” He exclaimed giddily. It was, after all, his favorite holiday of the year.

 

Oliver gave his son a questioning look, but didn’t bother making further inquiry. He had more important things to worry about. “Come on, Jonas.” He called Tommy, going over to Thea’s room.

 

“Speedy, It’s Ollie.” Oliver knocked, expecting the door to open, but all he got in answer was a vaguely distracted muffled ‘Not now, Ollie.’ in reply. Oliver frowned,

 

“Thea, Open the door, please.” After a few moments of silence, Thea asked,

 

“Is mom with you?” She sounded much closer than before,

 

“No. What’s going on?” He asked, and in response, Thea opened the door. Blocking the door when she saw there was another person with him,

 

“Whose he?”

 

Oliver hesitated, “That’s … uh, he’s nobody important. Now, what’s going on here?” Oliver asked, getting impatient, he pushed the door open till both him and Tommy had a clear view of Roy Harper on his sister’s bed, an arrow protruding from his knee. Behind him, he heard Tommy wince.

 

“Hey!” Thea protested, shutting the door behind the two men quickly, “You two can’t tell anyone about this okay?”

 

“This? What happened to him, Speedy?” Oliver asked, playing dumb. Thea sighed in exasperation,

 

“That Vigilante used him for target practice.” Thea looked at her brother with wide eyes, “You were right. That guy is psycho.”

 

Beside him, Tommy choked again, and absentmindedly, Oliver brought his hand to his back, rubbing comforting circles till the coughs subsided. Thea gave the pair of them a weird look, but didn’t bother asking, knowing if she hadn’t gotten a straight answer from her brother the first time, the chances of him answering honestly on a second attempt were quite slim.

 

“Why didn’t you go to the hospital?” Oliver asked Roy. 

 

“In this city?” Roy scoffed, “An arrow’s the same as a bullet if you want to get the cops involved.”

 

Oliver sighed, knowing the least he could do was actually take the arrow out of Roy, seeing that he was the one who put it there. It was a painful process, involving Roy’s rather manly whimpers, cheap alcohol, and Tommy’s wide eyes. When the deed was done, Oliver called Digg to come to the mansion with a first aid kit,

 

“What happened?” Digg asked him. Oliver pressed his lips together, knowing this was going to amuse Digg for days,

 

“Roy was shot… with an arrow.” As if on cue, Digg snorted, murmuring something about older brothers abusing their vigilante powers. Oliver rolled his eyes,

 

“Look, just get that first aid kit, please.” Digg agreed, but before Oliver could hang up, he continued,

 

“About Tommy, Felicity said she was able to charge his time-travelling device. At least, the thing is glowing again.”

 

Oliver nodded, looking at Tommy from the corner of his eyes. That kid was looking a bit too excited about seeing Roy. But then again, Tommy almost always reminded him of an eager puppy. He got excited about the smallest of things. His energy levels both exhausted Oliver and lightened him up in equal measures.

 

In total, Oliver hadn’t really spend that much time with Tommy. Maybe, an hour or so at best. But, the idea of him leaving again still made him feel reluctant. But, then he thought about Oliver from the future, of Tommy’s mother, and how worried they would be considering their child pretty much disappeared in the middle of night with no signs of where he might’ve gone.

 

He had no doubt that the Oliver from the future was blaming himself for everything. Maybe even thinking that the whole ‘having a family’ idea was a bad one. And well, Tommy deserved better. His family deserved better. So, instead of moping, he told Tommy about the once-again-working time-travelling device. The boy, just as expected, got super excited once again, and they decided to go back to foundry so that Tommy could finally go back to his time this time.

 

“You know, Uncle Roy brings up you shooting him a lot. I just never thought he was being serious.” Tommy told him as they entered the car. Oliver froze,

 

“I’m sorry…  _ Uncle _ Roy?” Tommy gave him a confused blink,

 

“Yeah. You know? The guy you shot in the knee, dad.”

 

Oliver blew a breath, “I didn’t… I didn’t think that he at some point would become family.”

 

Tommy frowned, “I don’t understand, aren’t he and Aunt Thea together right now?”

 

Oliver nodded, “Yeah. They are, I just… you know, didn’t think it was that serious.”

 

“Oh.” Tommy blinked, then looked out of the window, “Well. They are. Aunt Thea says that one of the main reasons why she and Uncle Roy worked out was because you told her to not give up on her love. Just like you didn’t give up on yours.”

 

Oliver didn’t know what to say to that. The man Tommy talked so fondly about, the man Tommy called his father, Oliver couldn’t relate to him. Tommy’s father Oliver seemed too _soft_ , too _light_. Not someone who had spent five years in various degrees of hell, but maybe someone who had spent decades in his own personal paradise. 

 

Telling his sister to fight for love. Fighting for love himself. These weren’t concepts he would ever associate with himself. Oliver wasn’t that… healthy. That well-adjusted. Was he even Arrow in the future? Did he still try to fight for this city? Or did he let this city go to hell just for his own happiness?

 

He didn’t think he would be happy with any answer to that question.

 

Felicity was waiting for them at the foot of the stairs when they descended the foundry stairs. She gave the pair of them an excited smile, showing them the glowing control panel,

 

“I couldn’t configure the code written. I don’t think that that programming language exists yet-”

 

“Of course it doesn’t. I used the SmoakScreen PL.”

 

Felicity blinked, lips parted in shock, eyes wide, “I created a programming language?” She whispered. Tommy gave her a wide grin just nodding in response.

 

“Oh wow.” Felicity breathed out, a hand going up to rest on her forehead, because, well because she’s pretty sure she just got her mind blown.

 

“I...um, That’s going to take a while to sink in.” She shook her head, “Anyway, I got it all powered up. I'm sorry I can't do anymore-”

 

“Don't worry about it.” Tommy said, giving his mother a lopsided smile. He took the device from her, and before he could think too much about it, engulfed her in a hug. Felicity was too shocked to respond for a moment, and even when she did, her hold was too hesitant, too rigid. But, Tommy didn't mind because she still smelled like his mother. Her perfume might have been different (it was roses now. Back in his time, she smelled like orchids and Raspberries) but the warm scent beneath was still the same. 

 

He pulled away before he could make her feel too awkward. He avoided his father's questioning gaze by pulling him into a hug too. Like Felicity, Oliver froze for a moment too, but when he did respond, his grip on his son was a lot more sure, maybe even just a tad bit desperate. When they pulled away from each other and Tommy set the date on the VWT-R6, he gave his parents one last grin, said,

 

“See you on the other side.” and welcomed the darkness that enveloped him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Tommy ends up at christmas of 2014, or the dreaded 3x09. I wouldn't worry about it too much, it's pretty much a fluff piece, and has one of the best lines of the entire fic in it (in my humble opinion)
> 
>  
> 
> If you liked it, leave kudos and feedback. Again, if you wanna follow my updates, follow me on my twitter and tumblr.
> 
> -ms


	3. S03E09: I Prayed For You (Before I Called You Mine)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!   
> ... So, I know it's been a while, but you know, life got in the way. But, I'm back! And I hope you enjoy this chapter as much I enjoyed writing it. Follow me on twitter @in_enochian and on tumblr @inenochian to stay notified on all my updates!
> 
> Ciao!

“You think he’s going to come back?” Roy asked Diggle, his voice grave. John pressed his lips together, hating every second of what was happening but not being able to do anything about it. Oliver made his choice when he decided to go fight in a duel against Ras Al-Ghul, and he made his choice again when he asked John to stay back, choosing to fight alone. And now, John was stuck here, brooding with Roy in the alley at the back of Verdant, feeling powerless and wondering why two of his closest friends just kept hurting each other when they loved each other so much?

 

Because even if Oliver doesn’t realise it now, if he doesn’t come back, it is going to _ kill _ Felicity on the inside. And what will John do next? When he loses two of the people who are closest to him? Diggle has done nothing but hope this past couple of years. Hope for Oliver, for Felicity, for the life he knows that he will build some day,

 

But, what if this is the wrong choice to make? What if seeing a part of their future without even realising what it signified screwed up everything, and this time their future was going to end up in death and ruin and heartbreak?

 

“I don’t know.” He told Roy quietly. He didn’t know if he’ll ever get to see Felicity as happy as she was with Oliver. He didn’t know if he’ll ever get to see Oliver in complete peace. He didn’t know if he’d ever become an uncle of a Tommy Queen, if that smart, quick-witted and happy-go-lucky child even exists anymore. He didn’t know-

 

_ Crash _

 

Roy jumped, head turning towards the dumpster where the crash had come from, as if something heavy had just fallen into it out of nowhere. Digg perked up beside him, jogging over to the said dumpster, his eyes widening when he saw what, or rather, who was in it,

 

“What? What is it?” Roy asked, making his way over to stand beside Digg and peer inside. The thing smelled nasty, but Roy ignored it in favor of the guy that was currently slumped unconscious inside it. The boy was definitely breathing, his chest rising and falling in rhythm, and beside him, Roy heard Diggle give out a sigh of relief,

“What? You know this guy?” Roy asked even as Digg bent forward to pull the boy out. John grunted,

 

“In a manner of speaking, sure. I’ll explain as soon as we get him out of this thing.” Between the two of them, the hauled him out of the dumpster pretty quickly, and Diggle propped him against the brick wall, patting his cheek softly till the guy started groaning, regaining consciousness,

 

“Uh, John? Who is this?” Roy asked, crouching down in front of him. John grimaced,

 

“This is Tommy. Tommy Queen. He’s Oliver and Felicity’s kid from the future.”

 

Roy blinked.

 

Blinked again,

 

“The fuck?” He asked quite eloquently. Diggle sighed, exasperated,

 

“Man, you just witnessed a guy run faster than speed just last week. Last years, you were dosed with something that gave you superhuman strength. Is the concept of time travel really so far-fetch anymore?” 

 

Roy hesitated, “I… I guess not.” He looked back at the boy more closely this time. He was coming back slowly, blinking lazily at taking in his surroundings, “I guess I can see it a little… So, Oliver and Felicity, huh? Good for them.”

 

“Uncle John? Uncle Roy?” Tommy slurred, he must have hit his head pretty hard on something this time, “When am I?”

 

“It’s 2015, kid.” John said, and when Tommy seemed balanced enough, he gave him a hand to help stand, “Your dad just went on a suicide mission.”

 

Tommy rolled his eyes, “It’s dad. I’m honestly not that surprised.”

 

Roy blinked, “What? So this is a regular thing in your time?” Tommy shook his head,

 

“Not so much since mom started to talk some sense into him. Aunt Lyla said that Dad always used to listen to whatever mom told him to do, but he’d gotten even more ‘whipped’ since they got married.” Tommy explained, making necessary air-quotes at ‘whipped’. It made Diggle snort, but he wasn’t surprised. Both him and Roy had taken advantage of that little tit-bit plenty of times themselves. It was pretty obvious that if you wanted Oliver to agree on something you know he won’t, all you had to do was convince Felicity that it would be a good idea.

 

John wasn’t aware that a person could get anymore ‘whipped’ than Oliver was now.

 

Tommy looked around, “So, what are y’all doing here?” He made a face when he got a whiff of something stinky. Cautiously, he brought his shirt up to his nose, and took an experimental sniff, “Oh Gross! Why do I smell like week old trash?”

 

Roy snorted, “Cause you dived right into week old trash not to minutes ago.” He said, looking the boy up and down, “Speaking of, you alright, kid?” 

 

Tommy experimentally hopped into place. A banana peel softly plopped onto the ground from his back. Collectively, the three of them decided to say nothing about it, “Yeah, I’m good.” He looked the alley, his eyes catching a back door, “So, dad’s on a mission. Where’s mum? I bet she’s pissed.” He continued with a snicker,

 

Diggle nodded towards the door, “She’s in the lair.” Then hesitated, “You sure you wanna go in there? It’s not going to be pretty in there.” He cautioned, and then thought better of it, “Actually, seeing you might actually help Felicity. You tell your mommy her hubby’s gonna come back.”

 

Tommy rolled his eyes at the teasing spark in his uncle’s eyes, but did as he suggested. He discarded his jacket on his way, walking down the stairs to what looked like an empty lair,

 

“Felicity?” He called out hesitantly, but all he heard back was a little sniffle. Tommy froze. Then, turned another corner to find his mother slumped in her chair, her ponytail messed up and her dress wrinkled, and her head in her hands,  _ crying, _

 

_ What the fuck? _

 

“Mom!” He walked closer, no longer caring much about anything else but making her feel better. She looked up at him with wide liquid blue eyes, and Tommy’s own heart splintered when he saw the tear tracked running down her face, “Hey mom, you’re alright. Everything’s going to be fine.”

 

“Tommy?” She asked, confused, and Tommy nodded, walking closer and crouching in front of her chair. She frowned at him, wondering what was happening, “You’re calling me ‘mom’.” She stated,

 

Tommy just nodded.

 

Something seemed to click in her mind then,

 

“Oliver just told me he loved me.” She stated again, and this time, the sweet lilt in her voice made Tommy smile softly,

 

“He does. More than anything.” He assured her. She held his eyes for long moments, then her face crumpled slightly,

 

“He went alone. To fight Ras Al-Ghul.” She told him, and Tommy nodded again, pulling her chair closer,

 

“He does that sometimes. You always get annoyed with him everytime he decides to act so reckless.” Felicity sniffled,

 

“I don’t break down everytime?” She couldn’t believe that this would ever get easier. Watching Oliver walk away, having to wait and pray and hope that would he make his way back to her.

 

“Nope. Because he  _ always _ comes back, mom.” Tommy said, the steel in his voice so very similar to Felicity’s, “He promised us that he’ll  _ always _ come back, and he _ always _ does.”

 

Felicity pressed her lips together to keep another sob at bay. Instead placing a hand on her son’s cheek, her thumb smoothing over the soft skin under his eyes reverently,

 

“You’re really ours, aren’t you? Mine and Oliver’s.” It was still so hard to believe, and yet, Felicity had no doubt. The feelings she had for Oliver, they ran deeper than anything she had ever experienced before. And even months before, when she was sitting in that restaurant, listening to Oliver talk about how she had made him feel _ ‘human’ _ , before the restaurant and their date blew up in their faces, she had known even then, that if she ever got involved with Oliver, it would be a forever kind of a deal. The idea of anything less would have left her devastated.

 

It  _ had  _ left her devastated.

 

But now, there was Tommy. Tommy who was perfect with her dark hair and Oliver’s jaw. With her eyes and Oliver’s nose, with her lips and Oliver’s birthmark. Tommy who was right there with his hands on her chair handles and his toes touching hers and his head leaning into her hand. Tommy who was now moving even closer, pulling her to his chest till she was crying into his shoulder, wrapping his arms around her back and just holding on while she shuddered against him. 

 

This was her son. Her son who looked partly just like her, who worked with technology just like her, This was also Oliver’s son. His son who looked partly just like him. Who made Felicity feel safe just like him.

 

“You know, when I see dad again, I’m going to hack into his phone so that all he sees when he switches it on are pictures of pigs mating for making you cry.”

 

Felicity laughed at that, the sound coming out slightly wet. She sniffled into Tommy’s shirt, then made a face, pulling away,

 

“Tommy, why do you smell so bad?” 

 

Tommy smiled sheepishly, “Not a very graceful landing this time.  I fell into a dumpster. Uncle John and Uncle Roy had to pull me out.”

 

Felicity’s eyes widened, “Oh my god! Are you okay?”

 

“I’m fine, mom. It’s just a tiny little bump.” Tommy said, feeling the back of his head for the bump he could feel slightly throbbing. Felicity winced in sympathy, getting up from her chair to go over to the refrigerator,

 

“I’ll get an ice-pack ready,” She told Tommy, “Oliver keeps an extra pair of clothes at the back. Why don’t you take a shower and change, okay?”

 

“Okay.” Tommy agreed, but instead of going into the back, he followed his mother, placing a hand on her shoulder till she looked at him. At 6 feet, he towered over her, and she had to tilt her head up just to meet his eyes, “You alright now, mum?”

 

She gave him a warm smile. Something else that hadn’t changed even in the future. Felicity was always warm. Especially with her children, “You’re here. I’m okay.” She shrugged, “I mean, of course I’m worried about your father, I just have to trust that Oliver will come back.” She squeezed her hand, “Now go shower, please. You do stink a lot.”

 

Tommy obeyed, and spent the next ten minutes under the steaming shower getting rid of the stink. His mother was waiting for him when he got back, two cups of coffee and an ice pack just like she had promised. Tommy relaxed in the seat across from her, and for the next few minutes, they just sipped their coffee’s quietly, Felicity’s gaze not straying from her son the whole time,

 

“Isn’t this worrying you?” Felicity asked her son softly. Tommy gave her a questioning look, and Felicity clarified, “If I’m right, this was your third attempt at going back to your own time, and you failed. Aren’t you getting worried?”

 

Tommy pursued his lips. Till now, he had managed not to think about it too much, but yes, he was getting worried. And he was starting to miss his actual family, “I’m trying not to think about it too much.” He told his mother, shrugging, “I mean, even if I’m not travelling back to my time directly, I am making some progress each time. And well, I like learning about you and dad.”

 

Felicity smiled at him, leaning on her hand, placing her elbow on the desk beside her, “Even though we are pretty much a really hot mess?”

 

“Even then.” Tommy replied cheekily, before sobering a little, “No but, you and dad? You’re perfect in the future. As parents, as spouses, as individuals. Seeing all these things you had to go through, all these little milestones of your relationship, it’s been a good experience.”

 

“Hmm.” Felicity agreed, “I’m really glad you’re here right now too.”

 

“So, tell me about your life now.” Tommy straightened eagerly, “I can’t really tell you much about the future for obvious reasons, but you can tell me all about your days.”

 

Felicity narrowed her eyes, “I don’t know about that… I don’t think the future-me would like for you to know all the details about my life right now.”

 

“Oh come on, mom!” Tommy laughed, even as he cajoled, “I know you work tech support for dad. I know you train with Uncle John on self defence. But, I don’t know a lot more than that.”

 

Felicity sighed, how she ever said ‘no’ to this boy in the future was beyond her, “Alright, what do you want to know?”

 

“Okay. Let’s start with something basic, what do you do for a living?”

 

Felicity shrugged, “That’s an easy one. I work at Palmer Tech.”

 

Tommy blinked, “Palmer? Like Ray Palmer?”

 

“You sound surprised. Is Palmer Tech not a thing in the future?” Tommy shook his head,

 

“Not really. Ray Palmer doesn’t even really live in the city anymore.”

 

“Huh.” Felicity leaned closer, and stage whispered to her son conspiratally as if there was a chance of her getting overheard, “Don’t tell anyone, but between you and me, I’m not really surprised. I mean, Ray is an amazing inventor and all, but the guy really isn’t a very good businessman.”

 

Tommy laughed, “Dad would’ve liked to hear you say that. He doesn’t like Palmer much.”

 

Felicity snorted, “Oh, trust me, your dad has made his dislike for  _ Palmer  _ very clear.” She said, imitating Oliver’s deep voice even as she tried not to think about him and his whereabouts too much. Time was fluid. Ever changing, but as long as Tommy was here -existing- she knew Oliver would come back. To _ her _ . And for now, that was enough for her.

 

“Yes well, I don’t like him very much either. He’s too preppy. There is something definitely weird about him.” 

 

Felicity rolled her eyes, “You sound just like Oliver.” She reprimanded lightly, but couldn’t bring herself to take any offence on behalf of Ray. Not when her son’s teasing grin was so boyishly  _ charming _ . They were going to be the death of her, weren’t they? The men in her life. Or well, her future life.

 

“Okay, Next question. What did you do for Hanukkah this year? I assume it’s a bit different from how we spend Chrismukkah back in my time.”

 

Felicity’s gaze softened, her insides melting a little that the life that her son painted. Sure, he didn’t give her any specifics, but just the idea of her and Oliver, with a kid and enough time to spend holidays with celebrations unique only to them. Fusing two different religious celebrations because they both of partners of equal standing and neither one’s religion was more important than the other.

 

Felicity didn’t need to know much about her future to want to look forward to it. She had a son who was happy and who loved his parents. That was enough for her.

 

“We don’t usually get time to celebrate much of anything this time of the year.” She told Tommy softly, “I didn’t do much more than light the menorah everynight leading up to Hanukkah.” The frown on her son’s face compelled her to add, “I’m really glad that changes in the future.”

 

“So am I.” Tommy patted her hand, “Chrismukkah is my favorite part of the year.”

 

Just then, Tommy’s pocket burned. He stood up, panicked, and took out the burning hot control panel from his pant pocket, tossing it on the table with a rather undignified  _ squack! _  Felicity watched as the VWT-R6 glowed hot once, twice, thrice in pulses before losing it’s light completely,

 

“What happened?” She asked, but beside her, Tommy looked just as confused. He walked closer cautiously, poking the panel experimentally. It was back to being a cool metal, and Tommy picked it up,

 

“Do you think it might be a wiring problem?” Felicity asked, looking over her son’s arm at the time-travelling device. 

 

“Maybe it hit something during the fall too.” Tommy said nodding. “Thankfully, that’s something I can fix.” He looked over at his mother, “I could use your help though.”

 

Felicity gave him a disbelieving look, “I know I’m very good when it comes to tech, but Tommy, future inventions are still beyond me.”

 

Tommy shrugged, that same damn charming grin on his face, “Wires are wires are wires. You taught me that.”

 

It was incredible, Felicity thought, how he could throw around Charm just as easily as Oliver, but then he would say something or do something and suddenly, he would remind her of herself. Tommy was incredible.

 

Of course she agreed.

 

Damn the Queen Charm™

 

“Alright,” Tommy took one last gulp of his now lukewarm coffee and put down his empty cup, rubbing his hands together as he sat down in front of the VWT-R6, “Let’s see if we can fix this thing. I’m pretty sure dad and you will kill me if I don’t get home soon, considering they don’t even know that this thing works.”

 

“Oh.” Felicity straightened in her seat, slightly disappointed at the thought of him leaving but she didn’t let herself show it. Tommy wasn’t her son  _ yet. _ And Felicity could only imagine how much she would freak out if she ever actually lost her child like that. “Of course. Talk me through the original circuit, okay?”

 

They spent the next hour of so on the control panel together, looking down at the small piece of technology and it’s intricate wiring till their eyes crossed. But, working with Tommy was fun. He kept up with her pace, which was understable since she was the one who taught her everything she knew. But, he also knew so much more than Felicity too. They didn’t get into too much details about the future technology, no matter Felicity wanted to. Instead, the manual labor of rearranging the wires payed off, and the panel was glowing again in just under the hour.

 

And if Felicity’s eyes misted a little when both her and Tommy raised their hands in a celebratory fist pump simultaneously, well, one could hardly blame her.

 

Tommy pulled her in a bear hug when the holographic keypad appeared on the panel, breathing a laugh in relief in her ears. She held him back tightly, knowing what this meant. Tommy needed to go back to his parents now. Back to his time. Where he belonged. But, someday he would belong to her. And well, for a child as amazing as Tommy, she would wait a lifetime.

 

“You’re pretty perfect, you know that?” She breathed into his hair, already missing him and he was still in her arms. 

 

“You too, mom. Best mom on the whole fucking multiverse.” He murmured, placing a kiss on her hairline as he pulled away. 

 

Felicity gasped, slapping his arm and glaring up at him, “Hey! I don’t care how old you are, Tommy. We don’t cuss in this family.”

 

Tommy rolled his eyes, “ ‘kay, mom.” He had always thought that the ‘No Cursing’ rule was put into implementation after he was born. But apparently, his mother has always been this uptight when it came to cursing, which was puzzling because his dad had on of the dirtiest mouths during sparring matches. 

 

Felicity sighed, realising that it was time. She placed her palm on Tommy’s cheek, memorizing his face, trying her best to not cry, because of course this wasn’t good-bye. It was just a rather… long see you later. And she had to admit, she was looking forward to baby-Tommy.

 

_ Not  _ that she was anywhere ready to have a  _ baby, _

But you know,  _ someday. _

 

“I’ll see you soon, mom. Okay?” Tommy told her, picking up the control panel and putting in the same date he’s been inputting for the last three times. He hoped he would finally be able to get home back to his time. No doubt his parents were freaking out already.

 

“I love you, Tommy.” Felicity said, giving him a teary smile. It reminded him of his mom’s face when William first left for college. He had heard her crying for two hours the following night, and she had had his dad with her then. He grimaced, knowing she was going to cry again tonight. For him, and for Dad. He hadn’t magically fixed what his dad had messed up just by spending a couple of hours with her.

 

“I love you too, mom.” He told her, stepping closer to pull her into one final hug, “Don’t worry, when I see dad, he’s definitely getting bombarded by pictures of pigs mating, okay?”

 

The last thing Tommy heard before darkness engulfed him once again, was his mother’s slightly strangled, surprised laughter.

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Up: Tommy in Christmas of 2016, AKA S04E09, AKA Olicity getting fucking engaged, also, Tommy meets Laurel (that is going to be a can of worms)
> 
> Twitter: @in_enochian
> 
> Tumblr: @inenochian


	4. S04E09: My Smile, Is Beaming (My Skin, Is Gleaming)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So, Chapter 4 is finally here :) [Only because I'm finally almost done with chapter 5. it was a fucking monster]. Thank you for all the love and support you've given this fic. I appreciate it sooo much. 
> 
> I really hope you like this chapter. Remember, Feedback and Kudos feed the soul ;)
> 
> For update notifications and such, follow me on twitter @in_enochian and on tumblr @inenochian ;)
> 
> ALso, @Kattabaker, the reason why Oliver and Barry have fallen out in this fic is because... I don't really like him? I mean, they don't hate eachother in the future, but they just aren't that super close. In fact, there are a lot of characters in this fic who the Queen family isn't close with, and the only reason for that is that I think that they should be surrounded only with WHOLESOME, NICE people who actually RESPECT them. 
> 
> Otherwise, HAPPY READING!

Laurel sighed as she tied her combat boots, her wet hair still drying. She was sore from the fight with the ghosts, and she may have got hit in the ribs, but other than that, she was just relieved that they had been able to get Thea, Diggle and Felicity out safe and sound. She had thought after that shit show, she would be able to spend the rest of the night with a nice glass of white wine and a good old-fashioned romantic novel on her couch, but apparently, Thea and Felicity had something else planned, so now all of them were on their way back to the Star City Bay area.

 

Laurel looked up when there was a loud  _ thud  _ from near the sparring station, one of her batons already in her hands. Her paranoia was completely justified considering what they had just been through, but it was apparently also unfounded because there was no ghost standing in the lair with a gun pointed at her.

 

There was, however, a man slump unconscious on the mats. 

 

_ “Digg!” _ She called for John even as she cautiously walked over to the young man. He was handsome, she could tell, with a strong jaw and dark hair. He groaned when she crouched in front of him, and before he could completely regain all his bearings, Laurel had him propped up and his hands tied to his back. He opened his eyes, the bright blue in them blinking rapidly as they adjusted to the light in the room, and he frowned when he saw her,

 

“Black Siren?” He mumbled unintelligibly. Laurel gave him a confused look,

 

“Who the hell are you, kid?” Well, maybe  _ kid _ wasn’t a very accurate word. He definitely looked older than 18. Or maybe that was just because of how built he was. Laurel bought her gaze back to his face where it had strayed to his biceps only to find the man looking at her strangely,

 

“You’re not black siren…” He muttered as if he was trying to piece together something extremely complicated,

 

“I have no idea who that is.” Laurel stated, and when he made to move, she pushed her baton against his throat, “I’m only going to ask this once again, who the hell are you?”

 

A little bit of her canary cry escaped with her growl and the guy’s eyes widened. He leaned back from her baton, but there was no fear in his eyes, only surprise, and recognition of some sort, which puzzled Laurel because she had never seen this man before in her life.

 

“What the hell?” He cursed, looked her up and down, “Did I manage to travel through earths this time?”

 

Okay. So, he definitely had some screws loose. His nonchalance at her threats only made Laurel feel even more frustrated, and considering how her (definitely) sore ribs were now throbbing in pain because of how she was crouching in front of him, Laurel had no patience for his bullshit,

 

She raised her baton, planning on thwacking him on the head with her baton, just until he lost consciousness till she could call everybody else so that they could discuss what they should do about him, when his arm shot up to catch her’s mid-move, and in less than a blink, Laurel was laying on the mats, the guy straddling her, her baton now pressed against her own throat. The expression in his eyes was familiar then, determination and anger and frustration. His teeth were bared, his breathing just a little heavier than normal,

 

“What-” She tried to croak out, but he just pressed the baton harder,

 

“When am I? On what earth?” He demanded through gritted teeth. Laurel, for the life of her couldn’t understand what he meant. That errant thought that maybe he wasn’t quite right in the head creeped up again, and this time, her impatience gave way for genuine fear.

 

Insane people were unpredictable. And unpredictability was dangerous. And seeing how easily this guy had not only disarmed her, but also now held her captive, he was definitely very dangerous.

It was an effort just to breath, but Laurel could tell from the strain on his muscles that if he wanted her unconscious, she would be. That, if he had wanted her _dead_ , she would be.

 

The guy was powerful, more so than her. But, she had the advantage of knowing the layout. Just a few feet from her, out of the man’s line of sight, was an escrima stick that she had been sparring with Oliver with a day or so ago. She pretended to struggle only so that she could keep his attention away from her hand, which was creeping closer and closer to the stick. Just when she could feel the polished wood under her fingertips, she heard the elevator entrance doors open,

 

“Tommy!” She heard Digg exclaim in surprise, and the man’s head snapped in that direction. She took advantage of the distraction, picking up the escrima stick and hitting him on the side of his head with all the strength she had.

 

The blow wasn’t as powerful as it could’ve been, she was still struggling to bring air into her lungs, but it was enough to topple the guy from over her. He groaned, eyes shut tight and his hand going over his head, but the fight seemed to have left him,

 

“Laurel!” Digg reprimanded sharply, and Laurel looked over at him surprised. Why was he so angry at her? She had done nothing but protect herself. But, Digg wasn’t even looking at her, instead, he made a beeline for the boy, gently checking over his head wound even as he helped him sit up,

 

“Hey there, Buddy. You okay?” Tommy made a sort of positive sound, even as he leaned on the wall behind him. He opened an eye, glaring at the woman he had been fighting before turning back to his uncle,

 

“Uncle John… when am I?”

 

John gave him a half smile, “Christmas of 2015. I almost forgot it was that time of the year again.”

 

Tommy frowned, “What do you mean?”

 

“Well, you’ve been showing up on every christmas since 2012. I’ve been starting to anticipate it by now, but well, we’ve had a busy night, and it slipped my mind, I guess.”

 

Tommy slumped back into the wall, his eyes shutting in relief, “So, there _ is _ a pattern. You always were a smart man, Uncle John.”

 

Diggle chuckled at the boy’s statement, but his attention shifted when Laurel cleared her throat pointedly at them,

 

“Want to tell me why there is a stranger in the lair calling you uncle, and why we haven’t locked him up yet?” Laurel asked, waving her arm towards Tommy, “You did see him attacking me, didn’t you?”

 

“Really, Laurel?” Diggle asked rhetorically, arms folding over his chest defensively, “Because it isn’t you laying on the ground with a nasty bump on your head and a possible concussion.” Well, maybe John wasn’t being very fair, but Tommy was important to him. Oliver and Felicity were family. The closest he had after Lyla and Sara. Which made Tommy family.

 

Laurel looked at him, offended, but she didn’t want to argue. Not when there were so many unanswered questions swimming around her head,

 

She blew a deep breath out, looked at Diggle as he dug through the utilities drawer a few feet away from them and come back with a first aid kit,

 

“Okay, but seriously, I don’t know who he is, and he just appeared out of thin air! Can you really blame me right now?”

 

Diggle looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, before turning to look at Tommy,

 

“You didn’t recognize her?” Tommy shook his head. It was only half the truth. He had recognized her, of course. As the Black Siren. And Black Siren was always more of an enemy than a friend. So, he had behaved with hostility, just like dad had taught him to. But, it was clear that Black Siren and this lady in front of him weren’t the same person. Apparently, for some reason, his parents had failed to mention that there had been a black canary before Dinah Drake. But, whatever the reason, Tommy thought it best to keep his future knowledge as vague as possible.

 

Digg sighed when Tommy didn’t explain further than just a brief shake of his head, “I shouldn’t ask too much about the future, should I?”

 

Tommy gave him a weak smile, “It would be better if you don’t. I don’t want to change anything going back.”

 

“Okay.” Digg agreed, then turned to Laurel, “Laurel, meet Tommy Queen. Tommy, this is Laurel Lance. Tommy here, is from the future.”

 

Laurel gaped at him, “I’m sorry, I’m going to need a bit more explanation than that.”

 

Tommy stumbled upright, and instinctively, Laurel took a step back, but Tommy just held a hand out, “Tommy Jadon Queen. Son of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak-Queen.”

 

Laurel blinked, “Oliver and Felicity?” She asked blankly, a million emotions running through her system. Sure, she knew that the two of them were dating, but it hadn’t even been a year. And more than half of their relationship hadn’t even been tested by the trials of real life seeing as they spent months just travelling the world. Laurel hadn’t really given the relationship between Ollie and Felicity much thought, but she hadn’t really imagined that they would last long enough to actually get married and have a family.

 

Not when Ollie had spent three years with her, but the most she could get out of him was being able to stay the night at his place occasionally. 

 

But, the guy in front of her was completely serious, and Diggle wasn’t contradicting him, and Laurel could feel herself spiraling slightly,

 

Tommy nodded, then turned to John, “Speaking of, where are mom and dad?”

 

_ Mom and Dad,  _ Laurel thought with dread filling her veins,  _ they’re parents. _

 

“I’m pretty sure they’re in the shower. We had a bit of a busy evening.” Diggle said, sighing, “And now Felicity and Thea have planned something for Oliver, and none of us are in on it.”

 

“Wait, so.” Laurel spoke suddenly, bring back the attention to herself, “Ollie named you after him? After Tommy Merlyn? His best friend?”

 

Tommy shrugged, “Aunt Thea says it was mom’s idea, but that dad had been completely on board. Why? Did you know him?”

 

It was such an innocent question, almost naive in it’s obliviousness, but it made John cringe, and it made Laurel freeze. “Cause, Dad always said that Tommy Merlyn was his best friend, just like how uncle John was his brother.”

 

The statement warmed Diggle’s heart, the boy might be just as tactless as his mother, but at least it comes from a place of love. John placed a hand on his nephew’s shoulder when it became abundantly clear that Laurel was actually too shocked to answer, “Your dad, Tommy and Laurel kind of have a long history. Let’s just leave it at that for now, okay.”

 

Tommy hesitated, but just shrugged in the end, “Sure.” If Uncle Diggle wasn’t going to push him about the future, Tommy figured he had no right to push about the past.

 

Just then, the elevator doors opened once again, and this time, Felicity and Oliver came out, both freshly showered and more presentable. Their eyes widened when they landed on Tommy, and Felicity gave him a wide smile,

 

“Tommy!” She called, and sprinted over to him, and Tommy wrapped her up in a hug, laughing in her hair when she squealed in his ears. She pulled away for a moment, her wide smile dimmed when she saw the bruise on his head, “Oh my god, are you okay? Did you hit your head during the fall again?” She asked, a frown marring her forehead even as her fingers gently traced the bump. Tommy winced lightly, more from her cold fingers than anything, but Felicity pulled her hand away immediately,

 

“I’m fine. This is nothing.” That statement made Felicity pout even further,

 

“You know, the more we talk, the more you remind me of Oliver.”

 

“Hey!” Oliver protested jokingly, even as he walked over to his family. He tilted Tommy’s face to see the wound in better lighting, eyes narrowing at the blue-green wound, “That’s too concentrated to be from a fall.” Oliver stated,

 

Tommy gave his father a sheepish smile, “I kinda surprised Laurel when I popped out of nowhere. It was no ones fault.” Oliver frowned, his eyes going over to the woman in question only for a second before he nodded back at his son,

 

“We should really get that checked out.” Felicity started, grabbing Tommy’s hand and pulling him over to the medical bay, “You could have a concussion, you know, considering you had also hit your head the last time I saw you.”

 

Tommy sighed, but didn’t argue. By now, he knew to indulge his mother’s fretting for her family’s safety, and he knew that the best way to calm her down was to let her treat him, no matter if it was a stab wound or a papercut. Felicity diligently started the treatment where Diggle had left it. Bandaging the wound and checking her son’s pupils. When all seemed fine, she finally let her gaze travel over to the rest of him,

 

“I see you still didn’t make it back home.” She told him softly, placing a hand on his cheek, “I’m starting to get anxious on behalf of my future self.” She chided, making Tommy smile,

 

“Uncle John pointed out something. It was so obvious I don’t understand how I didn’t figure it out myself.” He told her. At Felicity’s questioning look, he elaborated, “Apparently, I’ve been showing up exactly on christmas every year. I think there might be a limit on how far into the future I can travel with the VWT-R6 at a time.”

 

Felicity tilted her head, “The limit being a year.” When Tommy nodded, Felicity blew out a breath, “So, what you’re saying is that what you built wasn’t exactly a time travelling device, but more of a time jumping device?”

 

Tommy winced, “Well, it time jumps when I need to go into the future, but travels into the past.” At Felicity’s unimpressed look, Tommy threw out his hands, “I don’t know, mom! The prototype wasn’t supposed to work yet when I ended up in 2012.”

 

Felicity’s eyes softened at her son’s frustration, and she let her hand caress his cheek, pushing the hair on his temple back and tucking the strands behind his ear,

 

“How about this? I promise to look into this prototype of yours as much as I can with all that I have, and maybe the next time you see me next year, I’ll have something more solid for you, okay?”

 

Felicity’s soft voice, her warm eyes, her constant comfort and her irrepressible conviction in him, it made Tommy miss his mom from his time even more, and before he knew what was happening, his eyes were welling up. He hugged his mom before she could notice his face crumbling, instead pressing his nose into her hair and just inhaling,

 

_ Raspberries.  _ Just like he remembers.  _ Raspberries and lemons. _

 

_ “" _ Best mom in the multiverse.” He told her again, and Felicity tightened her hold on him for a moment. Before pulling away.

 

Oliver watched the scene from a few feet away and with warmth filling in his chest. This is what he had wanted. A life with Felicity, a child with Felicity. He was seeing his future right in front of his eyes, and it made him even more sure of his decision tonight. He felt Digg pat his shoulder, and he turned to his brother, smiling when he saw how John’s eyes had misted a little. 

 

“You don’t look very surprised?” Laurel asked him softly from his other side, and he turned to her,

 

“It’s not the first time I’m meeting Tommy. He’s been popping up unexpectedly every christmas since 2012. This is the third time we’re meeting.”

 

“... And you knew that you had him with Felicity?”

 

Oliver shrugged, “I had my doubts the second time we met, but I hadn’t wanted to get my hopes up. We… didn’t meet the year after that, but Felicity told me in Ivy Town.”

 

Laurel looked up at him, surprised, “You were okay with that? That’s a lot of pressure to put on a new relationship.”

 

Oliver shook his head, “I’ve been in love with Felicity for so long now,” He told her, his voice soft, eyes on the ground “And for the majority of that time, I was convinced she would never look at me like that, like someone she could have a future with. I still can’t believe it sometimes.” He looked at her, a warm smile that, even though was directed at her, wasn’t actually for her, “Having Tommy… knowing that we make it in the end, it makes things a lot easier, actually.”

 

Laurel pressed her lips together, turned away from him for a moment to get her expression in control before looking back, “Good.” She said, voice neutral and a smile as fake as plastic on her face, “I’m happy for you, Ollie.”

 

Oliver nodded, then looked down at his phone when it pinged. It was Thea, asking him to come down to the bay because everything was ready. Oliver didn’t really know what this ‘everything’ was, and he was still slightly apprehensive at the idea of Felicity being out in the open after such a close call tonight, but he knew if he wanted to keep being with her, he was going to have to accept that she will make her own decisions.

 

And well, Oliver _very desperately_ wanted to always be with her.

 

He showed John the text, and then walked over to Felicity and Tommy. They were discussing the tech in Tommy’s hand in a language Oliver didn’t even pretend to understand, but the scene brought a smile to his face anyhow,

 

“Hey, we need to go.” He said, and then turned to Tommy, “We’re going to the bay area. Apparently, your mom and aunt Thea have a surprise planned. Why don’t you join us?”

Tommy’s eyes widened in excitement, “Sure!” He nodded, and put the VWT-R6 back in his pocket, “Lead the way.”

 

<><><><><><><><><>

When Tommy saw all the press near the Bay area, he opted to stay a little behind in the shadows, enough that he had a clear view of the bay, but also so that he wouldn’t get accidently captured on camera. Aunt Sara had told him that an accidental photograph was by far the easiest way to create an aberration, and also the hardest to solve. His dad seemed to understand, and just gave Tommy a warm hug before taking Felicity by hand and walking through the crowd into the front.

 

Tommy saw his parents go up on the raised platform where a christmas tree was left standing. The number of Queen For Mayor posters made him smile. Dad had told him about his rather short stint as Mayor before they impeached him for being the green arrow, only for them to vote for him again later. 

 

The people of Star City were very indecisive. One day the headlines would be praising their parents and the next, the city would be cursing them. But, dad always told them that Star City was home. Not home like his wife and kids were to him (they were irreplaceable, he said) but home nonetheless. Tonight, it seemed that the city was pro-Oliver Queen, and Tommy was excited for the speech his dad was going to deliver. 

 

The people of Star City cheered as Oliver and Felicity took their places in front of the christmas tree, and the couple gave their audience a bashful smile,

 

“Thank you. Thank you, everyone.” Oliver smiled at the cameras, “Today, an event just like this was interrupted by terrorists.” He said as the crowd quietened, “But, tonight we’re here to send them a simple message, we’re not gonna  let the darkness win. So, all of us are here to light a candle together. United.” Oliver said, and turned to switch on the christmas tree, bathing the surrounding area into the warm lights of gold ornaments and fairy lights. He felt Felicity squeeze her hand in his, and it took everything in him not to just lean down and kiss her then and there. 

 

_ Not yet.  _ He thought to himself,

 

_ She had to say ‘yes’ first.  _ He thought to himself, 

 

_ After that, he wasn’t going to stop kissing her. _

 

He turned to the city people again, his smile broader because he could feel his girlfriend’s warm gaze on him. She was proud of him. He could tell just by how her fingers brushed the inside of his wrist. He was making her happy, he could tell by just how she itched to pull him closer to her. 

 

_ Not yet, _ He implored,

 

_ But, really soon.  _ He placated,

 

_ And then, forever. _

 

“This right here, is possible because of all of you!” He shouted over the cheers of the people, “And I’m grateful for each and everyone of you!”

 

Oliver’s heart was a hummingbird in his chest as he looked down, preparing himself for what he was going to do next. Wondering, even now, how she would look, when he asked her? If she would smile really wide? If she would cry from being so emotional?

 

“But, there is one person in particular that I’m grateful for.” His voice was shaking. He turned to smile tremendously at Felicity, and she, being her adorable sexy self, pointed at herself in faux-surprise, a little soundless ‘me?’ forming on her lips.

 

_ As if it could ever be anyone else. _

 

He nodded, “You.” The casual love that she had for him in abundance at any moment pooled in her eyes then, and Oliver found himself breathing a little easier. She loved him as if it was the easiest thing in the world. As if she could forget to breathe, but she still wouldn’t stop loving him. She loved him like she smiled,  _ always  _ and  _ full _ and  _ bright _ and Oliver couldn’t help but feel the same. 

 

He could lose everything in the world, he could lose himself, but as long as he had her, he was going to be alright.

 

“Someone who has stood beside me when times were darkest.” His smile when he faced the people of Star City was much lighter, much more sure, “She’s the one that lights my way.” He announced lovingly,  _ proudly. _

 

He turned to face Felicity, a smooth little swerve of his feet that made her grin at him,

 

“Felicity Smoak,” His voice came out breathy, the syllables dragging along his lips as if they were holy. He had been imagining what her face would be like when she saw him kneel. He had imagined the shock, the wide smile, maybe tears welling up in her eyes,

 

He got all of that, and then he got  _ more. _

 

She  _ laughed. _

 

Light and surprised and loving and undoubtedly the best sound Oliver had ever heard.

 

That sound was going to echo in his head for the rest of his life.

 

“Would you make me the _ happiest _ man on the face of this earth?”

 

Tommy watched, shocked as her mother nodded, as she kneeled down in front of his kneeling father to kiss him squarely on the mouth. He shook his head, sure that something was wrong because well, he knew when his parents married,

 

_ 28th November 2017. _

 

That couldn’t be right. That was still two years away. 

 

He turned away when his parents walked away towards the limo parked near the bay. Something was wrong. Maybe he had messed something up. But, he was still here, wasn't’t he? So, maybe he had just… sped things up a bit?

 

Tommy was confused, and worried, and terrified because finally the consequences of his actions were coming back to him. What if he changed something and now Maya won’t be born? Or if William would never become a part of their lives?

 

Tommy had to fix this. And the only way he could to do that was to get home as fast as possible. Tommy fished out the control panel from the coat he had borrowed from his dad, gave one last look to where the limo was leaving, and then put in the date for the future, letting the darkness take him into the void of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Olicity is engaged! The next episode is 5x09, something I personally struggled with a lot. So, I hope you like that too. If you liked this chapter, leave me feedback and kudos!
> 
> You can follow me on twitter @in_enochian
> 
> Or, on tumblr @inenochian
> 
> -m.s.


	5. S05E09: I Want You To Be Your Light, Baby (You Should Be Your Light)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter after almost 7 months of nothing? I wonder what this could mean???

Digg tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the elevator to climb up to the office. He had Sara sitting on hips on one side, and in the other hand, he was holding a bag filled with warm Big Belly Burgers. He wasn’t sure if Tommy had any allergies, so he had gotten almost every kind of burger from the restaurant, and was now running seven minutes late.

 

As much as he liked Rory and Rene, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to leave them alone with his time-travelling nephew just yet.

 

The elevator felt like it was moving slow purposely as it moved downwards, and John compensated by speed walking over towards the kitchenette after he had entered the lair. He could hear voices from near the training mats and walked over to see Tommy sitting cross-legged on the tatami mats, gouging out on what Diggle was sure was 2 day old chinese food kept in the same refrigerator Felicity kept all the teammates blood. John must have made a disgusted sound of some sort, or maybe it was Sara’s happy giggle, but Tommy looked up, noodle dangling from his lips, and smiled wide at his Uncle John,

 

Diggle scowled, “Tommy, close your mouth when you chew.” He reprimanded, then turned to the other two occupants in the room. Rory and Rene were sitting on the high stools they must’ve dragged from the medical table, 

 

“Really? All you could find to feed him with was bad chinese food?”

 

Rene rolled his eyes, “Hoss, this is a secret crime fighting base. Not a restaurant. Not like we had a lot of choice?”

 

Diggle raised a brow, “What about one of Oliver’s protein rich granola bars?”

 

Rory looked almost scandalised at the suggestion, “No offence, Digg, but we’re not going to risk our necks by taking Oliver’s exclusive power bars for a stranger.”

 

Diggle shook his head, he was sure that in this one instance, Oliver wouldn’t have minded the invasion of privacy, but he wasn’t inclined to really explain all of this to Rory and Rene. Instead, he walked over to the mats, plopping Sara onto them with a rattle toy to amuse herself with, before taking the noodle box from Tommy’s hands and replacing it with a Big Belly Double Decker Cheese Buster. Tommy’s eyes lit up at the label, and he looked at John in surprise,

 

“How did you know my order?” John smirked,

 

“That’s been your dad’s celebration-order ever since he came back from the island. It’s the only think he ordered whenever we successfully completed a mission.”

 

The tidbit about his dad made Tommy’s chest warm. Because that same burger was also Tommy’s happy order. It’s the only thing he ordered whenever he was feeling a bit down in the dumps. Knowing he got it from his dad made him feel even happier about the burger.

Diggle sat down in front of Tommy as the boy unwrapped his burger,

 

“I have to say, I’m surprised to see you this year.”

 

“Yeah?” Tommy asked through his burger, and Diggle gave him a look, “Why’s that?” Tommy continued between bites,

 

“Well, seeing as your parents are currently dating different people, I wasn’t really sure if I was ever going to meet you.”

 

Diggle wasn’t even done talking  when he heard Tommy choking on his burger, coughing loudly even as he looked at John as if he’d gone bonkers,

 

“What the hell do you mean they’re dating different people? Last time I checked, they were engaged!”

 

Diggle winced, “Yeah. Shit happened after that. Your mom needed some space. Neither of us were actually sure if you would show up this year-”

 

Tommy nodded, “I suppose if my parents weren’t together, it would mean that I would stop existing.” He looked down at himself, “But, seeing as I am here, I’m guessing the break up isn’t very permanent?”

 

“Clearly.” Diggle nodded, agreeing, “Not that I’m surprised. Your parents might be trying to move on, but they’re not really very good at it.”

 

Rene looked at the two people sitting on the mats, feeling extremely irritated and confused because he had no idea who they were talking about. He cleared his throat to get their attention, raising a questioning brow at them when they turned to look at him,

 

“So… someone mind explaining who this guy is? And Digg, how do you know his parents?”

 

Diggle hesitated, he may be willing to fight every night besides these guys against the criminals of Star City, but he wasn’t sure if he trusted them enough to tell them about Tommy. He turned to look at the kid next to him, silently asking how close they were in the future. When Tommy nodded his assent, he sighed and turned to the newbies,

 

“This is Tommy Queen. Who he is… is a bit more complicated, but in short, he is Felicity and Oliver’s son from the future.”

Rory blinked at the older man’s blunt words, then turned his face to stare at the stranger in the room. His mouth was stuffed with Big Belly, but he still met Rory’s eyes evenly. The wide blue were familiar, and so was the dusty brown, almost blonde hair. Rory supposed he could see the resemblance, but it still was a jarring concept to take in. Not at all ‘impossible’, not after everything Rory had heard and experienced as a member of Team Arrow, but still very difficult to take in,

 

Rene scoffed, “You really expect us to believe that?”  

 

Diggle wasn’t really all that surprised at Rene’s denial. The man had a lot of potential as a vigilante, but he had just as much reluctance in him when it came to trusting others. And Diggle knows, that if your brother-in-arms doesn’t trust  _ you _ , then you can’t trust him. John doesn’t have in him the patience to convince Rene of Time travel, and to be honest, he doesn’t really see anything good coming out of it. If Rene wants to keep believing that Diggle is lying, he very well can.

 

John turns back to Tommy. He sees the boy is finished with his second burger, slurping on the last of his soda noisily. He is a lot like his father in that way. Oliver can act sophisticated and elegant all he wants when he’s in presence of strange company, but Diggle knows from personal experience after many a drunken solitary nights, just how much of a messy eater Oliver really is. 

 

“I can take you to City Hall if you want. If you want to meet them before you have to leave.”

 

Tommy hesitated, but ultimately shook his head, “Their relationship is still uncertain at this time.  If they saw me now, it could change everything. I could mess everything up.”

 

“Or maybe they’re  _ supposed  _ to see you.” Diggle countered, “Maybe you are supposed to mess things up for them to end up together again.”

 

Uncle John did raise a good point, but it wasn’t just his life on the line here. William’s already born in this time, but he still has a little sister that he needs to consider. Maya’s existence hangs on this single decision just as much as Tommy’s does, and no matter what happens, Tommy isn’t risking his little sister.

 

“I don’t know about that, Uncle John. No matter what, I can’t risk it.”

 

John was quiet for a few moments, contemplative,

 

“Do you remember two years ago when you showed up? Me and Roy found you in that dumpster?” John asked, Tommy couldn’t help but make a face,

 

“Of course I remember. It’s just been a few hours for me. What about it?”

 

Diggle gave him a soft smile, “We had just lost Oliver then, and out of all three of us, Felicity had taken it the hardest. But, then you had come along, and just by being there,  _ you  _ had given her hope. Hope that she hadn’t really lost Oliver.”

 

Tommy nodded, feeling his cheeks warm with pride at the idea of playing such an important role in his parent’s life. 

 

“Right now, Oliver needs that hope. He needs to know that he can still have that family he’s been dreaming of for years now. He needs to know he hasn’t lost everything. He needs  _ you. _ ”

 

“You sound very sure.” Tommy mumbled, playing with the edge of the Big Belly paper bag,

 

“I am.” Diggle shrugged, “Because you’ve given  _ me  _ hope.” At the statement, Tommy raised his eyes to meet his uncle’s. Diggle brought his hand up to ruffle Tommy’s hair, “I’ve always believed in Oliver and Felicity, and your existence just strengthened that belief. But, the last year’s been tough, not only on those two, but also on the three of us as a trio. Seeing you tonight, it lifted a pretty heavy weight in my chest. Personally, I don’t think Felicity is ready to see you, but, I also think Oliver  _ needs  _ to see you.”

 

Tommy thought about those words for a few more moments before nodding, “Okay. Okay, let’s go meet dad.”

 

“Good.”

 

They both stood up, and Diggle turned to pick up a Sara from the mats. She squealed at the interuption and Tommy’s smile turned softer when he saw the little baby, and without even realising it, he walked closer to the little girl, his finger slowly caressing her baby soft cheeks,

 

“You two close back in your time?”

 

Tommy gave his uncle John a cheeky smile, “She’s like my sister, I would do anything for her.”

 

Diggle nodded in approval, “Good answer.”

 

“Wait a minute,” Rene called out to them, his brow furrowed, the entire conversation he had just been witness to was completely outside the realm of possibility, but there was no way Diggle was such a talented actor, “You guys are really just taking in time travel as easily as if we’re talking about yesterday’s new?”

 

“This isn't the first time I’m meeting Tommy, Rene.” Diggle told him. “In fact, Tommy’s been in and out of our lives since 2012. And I know it can be a hard pill to swallow in the beginning, but you should really get used to this now, considering what we dealt with just last week.”

 

 Curiously, Rory himself was silent during the entire exchange. He looked thoughtful, but Digg was glad that there was no scepticism in his gaze. Being a member of Team Arrow was going to be easy. They were all going to encounter things they never thought were going to be possible. The sooner they started to expect things the better.

 

And yes, Diggle knew it was slightly hypocritical of him to think like that, considering Barry’s super speed still stumped him on good days, but then again, Diggle never claimed to be perfect.

 

<><><><><><><><><><>

 

The Party was still in full swing when Diggle and Tommy reached City Hall. They entered the building inconspicuously, Diggle having full access to the entire building ever since Oliver became Mayor. John peeked into the double doors that led to the party hall, Tommy mostly hidden behind his humongous frame. He spotted Felicity at once, her smile polite and posture stiff. It was completely opposite to how she had looked last Christmas. Even after Damien Darhk's attack, she had been all sunshine and smiles at the tree lighting ceremony before Oliver had proposed. 

 

Oliver himself was nowhere to be seen. His date, Susan Williams looked irritated at his absence, standing in the corner nursing a glass of champagne. John would sympathize, but Thea had told him all about that ‘Dragon Lady’. 

 

“Oliver's not here.” John mumbled to Tommy. The boy in question peeked over Diggle’s shoulder, taking in the room, he made a face when he saw who his mother was standing next to, 

 

“Really? She's dating that guy? He looks like a tiny gust of wind could take him away.”

 

John snorted, “He's a police detective. I'm sure he's stronger than he looks.” He turned to face Tommy, who looked completely unconvinced. The boy's stubbornness was endearing to John. Something he knew he got from both of his friends. 

 

“Come on. Oliver's not here. Let me call him-” John started to reach for his phone, but Tommy shook his head ‘no’,

 

“Don't bother, Uncle Diggle. Whenever Dad's feeling overwhelmed at a political function, his go to place is his office. I'm pretty sure I'll find him there.”

 

John raised a brow, but shrugged, knowing that there were areas in which Tommy would definitely know his dad better than him. Instead, he buttoned up his tuxedo, 

 

“Well, you go do that. I'll go and distract your mother before she loses all patience and decides to go and check on Oliver.”

 

The two nodded at each other and parted ways. Tommy look around the building, a lot of interior had changed in his time, but the basic infrastructure was still the same. It didn't take him long to reach the Mayor’s office, the door shut and no light coming from underneath the creaks, but Tommy wasn't deterred. He knew his father was smart enough to know that if he wanted to be left alone, he would have to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. 

 

He looked up at the wall clock hanging on the hallway, it was already 11:15 PM. Tommy would have to leave soon. He didn't think it would be a good idea to spend so much time in a time where his existence was still in question. He knocked on the door, and when he received no reply, he knocked again, 

 

A tired sigh, “Come in.” Oliver's weary voice called out, 

 

Tommy opened the door slowly, his father was standing behind his desk, his back to the door, but Tommy was sure he was aware of every movement. His father's shoulders stiffened for a moment before he whirled around, 

 

“Tommy…” He breathed out, walking over to his son in a rather fast pace. Tommy smiled at him, wide and bright just like his mother’s, and for the first time in about a year, Oliver felt alive again. 

 

They met in an embrace in the middle, and Tommy felt his father's arms tighten around his shoulders for a moment before he pulled away, 

 

“You're here.” Oliver's voice was still drenched in wonder, his eyes bright with amazement. He couldn't bring himself to pull away from his son, not completely. His hands remained Tommy's shoulders, his eyes roaming all over his face, taking in everything that made him Oliver's. Everything that made him Felicity's. 

 

“Hey, dad.” Tommy finally said, his voice croaking. The naked relief on his father's face made his throat burn with warm, unshed tears. Oliver didn't seem to notice, his heart was beating so fast, he could hear nothing but blood rushing in his ears,

 

“I didn't know if I'd ever get to see you again.” Oliver confessed. This year had been  _ so hard.  _ Not only because he had lost the love of his life, but also because he had lost his son. Both of them. Now, Tommy was here. And his presence meant that him and Felicity would be okay, that Oliver could actually  _ fix  _ what he had screwed up, and suddenly, there was a light at the end of the tunnel again. 

 

There was hope again. 

 

“I was surprised last year when you proposed to mom. It had all seemed so soon.” Tommy told his father, “It makes much more sense now. What happened?”

 

Oliver sighed, not knowing where to even start explaining that particular fuck up. 

 

“It’s very… complicated. I, um. I lied to your mother-”

 

“Yeah, Uncle John told me that much. He didn’t tell me why though.” Oliver grimaced, wondering how Tommy would take the news of having an older brother (did he even know?)

 

“It was about. Um, William. William’s my-”

 

“Your son.” Tommy cut him off, seeing how much his dad was struggling to get the words out. In a weird way, it had been a lot easier for Oliver to accept that he had a son with Felicity who visited them at christmas every year from the future than to swallow the fact that he had a son from another woman in the present time.

 

“You know about William?” Oliver asked, voice faint in its surprise. Tommy’s brow furrowed,

 

“Sure. My big brother Will. Of course I know William.” Tommy’s dad very nearly looked like he was going to faint, and Tommy’s concern skyrocketed,

 

“Dad, what’s wrong? Why would mum get mad about Will? Mom loves Will.”

 

It was an innocent statement, something Tommy had probably grown up learning as a fact more than anything else, but at that moment, those words made Oliver weak. Made him whimper. Made him  _ ache _ with longing at the picture that Tommy drew with his stories.

 

_ My big brother Will. Of course I know Will. _

 

_ Mom loves William. _

 

Tommy watched, stunned as Oliver turned away slightly, a silent tear rolling down his cheek. Never in the seventeen years of his life has he ever seen his father cry. It was humbling, and at the same time, Tommy wanted to punch the daylights out of the person responsible for making his dad so vulnerable.

 

He had a suspicion that his dad’s tears were at least partially the fault of that detective his mother was dating.

 

Oliver tilted his head up, staring at the ceiling listlessly even as he blinked rapidly to get rid of the moisture gathering behind his lids. He cleared his throat, plastering a broken smile for his son,

 

“We really are happy in the future, aren’t we? We really do make it?” Oliver shut his lips abruptly when his voice broke in the end, not trusting himself to speak further. Tommy hesitated before answering, crossing his arms over his chest. He needed to tread carefully here. He couldn’t change the future too much. Not in the long run.

 

“You know, something similar to this happened a couple of years ago.” 

 

Oliver’s brows furrowed, “What do you mean?” He asked. 

 

“You remember, when you had gone to fight Ras Al-Ghul, and mom was all alone?”

 

The memory made Oliver cringe, a phantom pain piercing his chest just at the thought, “Yeah?”

 

“I had found mom then all alone just like. She was crying too. I think I was more scared about it then I am now. Mom is usually so strong-”

 

That made Oliver’s lip twitch in a smile, “She’s the strongest person I know.”

 

“You and me both.” Tommy agreed. “But, when she thought she lost you, she was sobbing. And the only reason why she calmed down was because she saw me. Because me existing meant that you were going to come back to her.”

 

“Is that what you’re saying? That because you’re here, I can believe that she’s going to come back to me?” Oliver tried not to let the hope creep into his voice, but he wasn’t sure if he succeeded,

 

“I’m saying that it’s not going to be easy. Not now, not in the future. There are going to be problems, hurdles, but you and mom have the strongest relationship I know. And yes, sometimes you hurt each other without meaning to, but at the end of the day, it just brings you closer together.” Tommy smiled at his dad, “Our lives aren’t a happily ever after. We still fight everyday to make this city a better place in our own ways, but our lives are  _ full.  _ Because of you, and because of mom. And that is  _ so much better. _ ”

 

Oliver listened, fascinated. He couldn’t bring himself to believe that he had any part in bringing a child as pure as Tommy into the world. When he talked like this, when he smiled like that, all Oliver could see in him was Felicity. 

 

Felicity who has always been the one to bring him back from the precipice of darkness. She’s always been the one to save him from himself. And now he knows in the future, his children to this for him too. They save him from the monsters that lurk just behind the shadows, with just a few words and strategic smiles, and Oliver couldn’t be prouder.

 

“You’re very smart, you know that?” Oliver said, letting out a rough laugh at Tommy’s nonchalant shrug,

 

“I did manage to build a time-machine. I think I have some idea.”

 

“Very modest too.” Oliver grinned, but before Tommy could retort, there was a shout from outside. Oliver tensed, looking at Tommy with concerned eyes,

 

“You have any idea what is happening right now?” 

 

Tommy shook his head, “No. But, it’s not mom. I’m still here. Either way, you should go and check it out. I have to leave anyway. I don’t wanna know what happens if I stay in the same time period for more than a couple of hours.”

 

Oliver nodded, but pulled Tommy in another tight hug before letting go,

“Please be careful.” He told his son sternly. Tommy gave him an easy smile,

 

“Right back at ya, dad.”

**Author's Note:**

> Next Chapter, we see Tommy ending up in christmas of 2013. Or, Season 2 Episode 9.  
> If you liked this chapter, show some love with kudos and comments. 
> 
> If you want to know when I update next, or want to read excerpts from some of the other chapters of this book, you can find more on Tommy Queen: The Middle Child™ on my twitter @in_enochian or my tumblr @inenochian
> 
> -m.s.


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